Southern Fried Catholicism

Fight for your rights to study!

2012-01-26T15:58:00.000-06:00

USA Today reported that this year's freshmen class is more serious about studying and getting a good job than freshmen of the recent past.

Other statistics from the class of 2016 include:

•71% said they had taken at least one Advanced Placement course, up from 67.9% in 2009, and those who had taken five or more AP courses increased from 18.7% to 21.7% in that period.

•39.5% reported spending six or more hours a week studying or doing homework as high school seniors, up from 34.7% in 2009 and 37.3% in 2010. That figure has been inching upward since 2005, when a record-low 31.9% said they spent six or more hours studying.

•69.2% said they frequently took notes during class as high school seniors, up from 66.5% in 2009 and 67% in 2010. Also, 36.4% reported being frequently bored in class, down from 38.6% in 2009 and 39.2% in 2010.

The report also says 4.4% less of them are partying than the freshmen class of 2009. That's a bit refreshing and hopefully good for our future. But, as a product of the 80's collegiate system, I must leave you with the words of Ogre-

Girl Scouts and the Church: 100 Years is Enough?

2012-01-25T16:56:00.001-06:00

The anti-abortion website Lifesitenews.com featured a story concerning a parish in Virginia that banned the presence of Girl Scouts from the parish grounds and adjacent school.

"St. Timothy Catholic Parish in Chantilly says Girl Scouts will not be permitted to meet or wear uniforms on church property, including at St. Timothy School, which covers preschool to grade 8.
The Girl Scouts have been under growing pressure as evidence mounts of their ties with Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortion provider."

100 years: Is the run done?

Back in the '90's, I was Director of Youth for the Diocese of Jackson and learned very quickly that the Girl Scouts shared a close relationship with the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry. So, of course, when I read this story I went to the NFCYM site. Here is what they have to say:

"Many Catholic Girl Scout leaders are feeling torn between their commitment to Girl Scouting and their commitment to their Catholic teachings because of the real or perceived relationship between GSUSA (Girl Scouts USA) and organizations like Planned Parenthood. The NFCYM approach to this complex issue has been one of engagement, rather than detachment or withdrawal. NFCYM, through NCCGSCF (National Catholic Committee on Girl Scouts and Campire Girls), needs to stay connected to GSUSA not only because thousands of Catholic girls and Catholic adult leaders are involved in scouting, but because Girl Scouting—like Boy Scouting—provides excellent character development for young people through their programs. NFCYM can only influence secular organizations by staying in relationship with them . . . by being at the table."

I can tell just by the language that where there's campfire smoke, there's hellfire. I've written enough grants and sat through enough Diocesan ministers meetings to understand the nuance of softspeak. I'll break it down.

"Many Catholic Girl Scout leaders are feeling torn between their commitment to Girl Scouting and their commitment to their Catholic teachings because of the real or perceived relationship between GSUSA (Girl Scouts USA) and organizations like Planned Parenthood.(In softspeak, they are implying that Catholic leaders imaginations may be getting away from them. Perception means "unreal"). The NFCYM approach to this complex issue has been one of engagement, rather than detachment or withdrawal(How has that engagement gone? A little Gospel of Life? Some information on the 5th Commandment?). NFCYM, through NCCGSCF (National Catholic Committee on Girl Scouts and Campire Girls), needs(Neediness is very important to softspeakers. Some of those needs are perceived.) to stay connected to GSUSA not only because thousands of Catholic girls and Catholic adult leaders are involved in scouting, but because Girl Scouting—like Boy Scouting—provides excellent character development(although maybe not Catholic character) for young people through their programs. NFCYM can only influence secular organizations by staying in relationship with them . . .(an ellipsis? Is something missing) by being at the table.(Engaged AT THE TABLE. In other words, dotty Aunt Sue who smells of mothballs is invited to Christmas dinner and hollers out from the Catechism but other than that, she's just one voice among others...at the table.)"

Snopes.com affirms that your purchase of Thin Mints does NOT support Planned Parenthood.

I just bought 3 boxes from a Girl Scout Sunday. And we support a troop here. I figured that the NFCYM was on the watch so why peer deeper into it?

Now I see. The softspeak gave you away, NFCYM. Well, before that, your conventions filled with over 60 year olds and a disproportionate number of women in short-hair and vests sort of tipped me off but I was willing to overlook that. Because you built character.

Maybe the day of NFCYM is done as well.

Good Cheer tonight at 7pm!!!

2012-01-25T14:52:00.003-06:00

Just a friendly reminder that Good Cheer starts back up tonight at 7 at The Library.

First drink's on us.

Yes. Seriously.

The Conversion of St. Paul

2012-01-25T09:59:00.001-06:00

Caravaggio's Conversion of Paul

In the Office of the Hours, the first reading of the day is St. Paul's letter to the Galatians. In that letter, he recounts his own history as one who zealously persecuted the Christian community. He ends the first chapter by saying:

"Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ: But they had heard only: He, who persecuted us in times past, doth now preach the faith which once he impugned: And they glorified God because of me."

In a few sentences, Paul expresses the organic quality of conversion. Even one who tries to destroy the faith can be a source of inspiring the faith.

Catholics believe in conversion. But for us, it is not that ONE BIG MOMENT where you have to make the choice or forever be damned. Conversion unfolds over a lifetime. It ages and matures with us. Paul would say in the first letter to the Corinthians:

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."

Conversion is growth and growth makes us more childlike, not childish. Jesus says we must be as children to enter His Kingdom. There is a difference.

In the book, "A Prayer for Owen Meany", the author, John Irving, begins the novel repeating Paul's letter:

“I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice – not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.”

Owen Meany is a child and remains so throughout the book. He's a child with a strange, peculiar voice. He considers himself God's messenger. His faith is solid. He believes and brings the author to belief. In one scene, Owen is confident that his small frame can make a difficult basketball shot. His words are in CAPS to show his powerful voice.

"YOU SEE WHAT A LITTLE FAITH CAN DO?" said Owen Meany. The brain-damaged janitor was applauding. "SET THE CLOCK TO THREE SECONDS!" Owen told him.
"Jesus Christ!" I said.
"IF WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER FOUR SECONDS, WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER THREE," he said. "IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE MORE FAITH."
"It takes more practice," I told him irritably.
"FAITH TAKES PRACTICE," said Owen Meany

Faith takes practice. Practice it today. You may inspire someone else to give glory to God...because of you.

Smells Like Hulk Spirit

2012-01-24T16:08:00.001-06:00

The upcoming Avengers movie has inspired a line of men's fragrances. You can smell like a superhero! Who needs Axe when you can smell like Captain America? Old Spice isn't as old as the Norse God, Thor!

But then there's also Hulk cologne. I've never thought of a superhero who looks like this:

To be something I'd want to smell like. I haven't had a sample, but I imagine eau de Hulk being a mixture of dirty hair, bacon and unrepented rage. In other words, the same scent as "roommate".

Francis de Sales: an example for us all

2012-01-24T07:42:00.000-06:00

St. Francis de Sales, d. 1622.

Today, the Church remembers St. Francis de Sales. The story of his life is probably, at least in parts, somewhat familiar to our college readers. Francis was born into a well-to-do family. He was handsome and popular and his father made sure that he attended the best schools and that he had plenty of opportunities for social advancement.

In all of this social climbing, however, Francis remained very devout in his Catholic faith. That is, until college, where he had a real crisis of faith when he was first exposed to the teachings of the Protestant Reformers - namely Calvinists. Francis wanted nothing more than to please God and to be saved through Christ and he became convinced that he was predestined to hell. This so thoroughly disturbed him, that he became physically ill and bedridden for a time.

In his illness and despair, Francis visited a nearby church to pray. He re-dedicated his life to God and became convinced that whatever life had in store for him - ups and downs - it was all good, because "God is love." He came to understand that the most important thing that he could do would be to remain faithful and to serve God and his fellow man. Everything else, then, would fall into place. With this understanding, the legalistic and unhealthy doubts thats plagued him about his assurance of salvation began to fade away, and Francis grew to become an important teacher and leader in the Church. One of his most famous works is his book, An Introduction to the Devout Life, which is still considered by many to be one of the most important books on living out our Catholic faith.

Francis was eventually called to be the Catholic bishop of Geneva - a center of the Reformation. His preaching and his humble example won many back to the Church and he is remembered as a brilliant theologian, a passionate preacher and a devoted servant to the poor.

Many of us (if we are honest), have undergone some crisis of faith while in college. This can lead to despair or can lead us down a path of greater understanding and devotion. If we ignore our doubts, our questions and our problems, we are giving in to despair and, in a sense, throwing in the towel. If we use difficult questions and fresh doubts to spur ourselves on to a deeper understanding of our faith, we have done well. College is for learning more about things. The Church and the Catholic faith are no exception: learn more and ask questions.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for all who are undergoing a crisis in their Catholic faith.

Edited 1/24/2012 to correct spelling errors. BN

Prayers up for Birmingham

2012-01-23T10:11:00.002-06:00

Please pray for those affected by last night's storms in Alabama.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth...

2012-01-23T09:59:00.000-06:00

Now you're gonna think it every time.

More on Friday's bombshell...

2012-01-23T09:44:00.001-06:00

For those of you interested in keeping up with this, here are a couple of articles about the Dept. of Health and Human Services' late Friday announcement:

Obama Administration picks a fight with Catholics

Religious leaders blast HHS over contraception mandate

LA's retired archbishop, Cardinal Mahony, blogs about Friday's HHS announcement

And, from the response video posted on the front of the USCCB's website, one of the best quotes so far on this contentious topic:

“Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience,” said New York Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “This shouldn’t happen in a land where free exercise of religion ranks first in the Bill of Rights.”

School's starting back... back to procrastination!

2012-01-23T05:27:00.001-06:00

In honor of school starting back for the spring, here's a procrastination flowchart. Any of it look familiar?

Truth hurts, doesn't it? Ha ha.

(click image to enlarge)

Seriously, though, CCM wishes you the best during this spring semester. Remember to come out on Wednesday nights for Good Cheer (every Wed., 7pm at The Library). Also, Eucharistic Adoration will continue each Tuesday night at the church, from 6:00pm until 8:00pm and the ever-popular Rosary Walk will begin again on Thursdays, at 5:30pm at Pat Lamar Park.

"This is what a man looks like."

2012-01-21T06:36:00.000-06:00

From Creative Minority Report, I pass along a clip from Piers Morgan's recent interview with Mark Wahlberg.

Today I learned that Mark Wahlberg is humbly and unapologetically devoted to his family and to his Catholic faith. A good man.

Responding to Morgan's questioning, Wahlberg admitted that he visits his church every day to attend Mass and/or pray. What does he pray for?

"I pray to be a good servant to God, a father, a husband, a son, a friend, brother and uncle, a good neighbor, a good leader to those that look up to me and a good follower to those that are serving God and doing the right thing and people that I can look up to and, you know, try to emulate," said Wahlberg.

Well said. As CMR puts it, "This is what a man looks like."

Alright, this is huge...

2012-01-20T17:02:00.001-06:00

Ever notice how potentially unpopular decisions/announcements are always made on late Friday afternoon, to avoid a week-long press cycle? The hope, of course, is that by Monday, this will be "old" news.

But this is NOT going away.

As much as we try to avoid the muddy waters of politics on SFC, this news goes beyond politics. This, my friends, affects religious liberty.

The news:

So, what's the big news? Let me deliver it to our readers in the (obviously gleeful) words of a left-leaning site, ThinkProgress (emphasis mine):

Today, in a huge victory for women’s health, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that most employers will be required to cover contraception in their health plans, along with other preventive services, with no cost-sharing such as co-pays or deductibles. This means that after years of trying to get birth control covered to the same extent that health plans cover Viagra, our country will finally have nearly universal coverage of contraception.

Opponents of contraception had lobbied hard for a broad exemption that would have allowed any religiously-affiliated employer to opt out of providing such coverage. Fortunately, the Obama administration rejected that push and decided to maintain the narrow religious exemption that it initially proposed. Only houses of worship and other religious nonprofits that primarily employ and serve people of the same faith will be exempt. Religiously-affiliated employers who do not qualify for the exemption and are not currently offering contraceptive coverage may apply for transitional relief for a one-year period to give them time to determine how to comply with the rule.

The breakdown:

Essentially, the current administration announced late this afternoon, that it is rescinding a key exemption that was granted to religious entities by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (signed into law by President Obama in 2010). The original exemption gave broad legal assurances to churches as well as to religious-affiliated institutions (such as universities and hospitals), that they would not be required to pay for health insurance coverage for prescriptions and procedures that violated their own religious beliefs.

With today's announcement, that exemption is now being limited only to "certain religious organizations." In other words, while local religious bodies (i.e. churches, synagogues, etc.) will not have to provide contraception coverage to their paid staffs, other "[n]onprofit employers who, based on religious beliefs, do not currently provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan," will now - under federal mandate - be forced to provide such coverage, regardless of whether or not such actions go against the religious creeds of these employers.

Who would be affected?

Who are the "nonprofit employers" that Secretary Sebelius now excludes from a religious exemption? They would include religiously-affiliated hospitals, religiously-affiliated schools and universities, and religiously-affiliated social and charitable organizations. This means that, under this new rule, Catholic hospitals will be required by federal law to provide their employees with health insurance which pays for contraceptives (even potentially abortifacient ones) and for procedures such as sterilization - products and procedures which are explicitly forbidden in Catholic teachings. The same must be provided to employees of Catholic parochial schools, Catholic universities and of Catholic social service organizations such as Catholic Charities and Catholic-run adoption agencies.

Only religiously-affiliated employers that primarily serve and employ people of the same faith will be excluded from this new rule. Meaning, that only small and religiously-homogenous organizations will be excluded. I.e. local parish churches, dioceses and the like.

SFC analysis:

This is wrong - plain a simple. This violates the First Amendment's explicit protection of citizens' right to the free exercise of religion. To have the government force adherents of a particular religion to fund and to provide services which are clearly prohibited by the beliefs of that religion is not just wrong-headed or unfair: it is unconstitutional and, dare I say, ludicrously dangerous to the fundamental rights of all American citizens as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

When the president's health care bill was passed in 2010, it did so with the high-profile support of some Catholics: namely the Catholic Health Association and the head of the Leadership Conference of Women's Religious. Those who joined these groups in support of the health care bill did so in direct contradiction of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and others, who warned that they did not see sufficient legal protection for religious groups who could not, as a matter of religious belief and conscience, fund or provide coverage for contraceptives, abortifacients and sterilizations. Those Catholic groups who supported the bill against the bishops' wishes, rallied around the "religious exemption" that was written into the original health care bill. This exemption, according to the bill's loyal supporters, would remain in place and would protect religious employers.

Well, that blew up. As many suspected, the administration is now claiming that these religious exemptions were only "interim final" rules. Now, more than a year and a half later, the rules are changing. It seems that our Catholic bishops were almost prophetic in their refusal to lend any support to the health care bill. Seemingly, they were right, while the Catholic Health Association, the Leadership Conference of Women's Religious and others were either hoodwinked by some in the administration and/or were just dead wrong.

At any rate, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has already issued a response to today's late-breaking news.

Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen, because this has just begun...

Infamous abortion clinic closes for good

2012-01-20T10:06:00.000-06:00

Last year's March for Life. (from: ncregister.com/blog/dc_march_live_blogging)

The 39th annual March for Life will take place in Washington, D.C. next week. Some of the faithful from our state are heading that way this weekend. Please pray for their safe travels and thank them for their strong witness against the injustice of abortion in our country.

In the arena of pro life issues, some interesting news came out of Illinois in recent days. Some of you might recall stories about the Northern Illinois Women's Center in Rockford, Ill., an abortion clinic which came into the national spotlight for the hateful imagery and anti-religious displays that workers at the clinic aimed at pro life protestors who gathered for prayer vigils outside.

Here's a story from a couple of years ago about what pro life (and mostly Catholic) protestors faced from the clinic (warning: some of the images might be offensive):

The clinic was closed in September of 2011 for violations of state health laws. Now, in the face of stiff fines, it is now being reported that the clinic will not reopen.

One.... small... victory for the most defenseless in our society.

You can read the whole news story at the Catholic News Service website here.

The Lost Letters of the Vatican Dictionary

2012-01-20T08:40:00.000-06:00

The Vatican Insider has published an online Vatican dictionary. The site promises that you can understand your faith's terms from "A divinis" to "Zucchetto"!

However, there are still a few letters not accounted for.
J, K, Q, W, X, Y have no words as of this writing.
No "juris"? And don't we have lots of "q" words?

Not to fear, I've come up with some of the missing letters from the Diocese of Jackson and thereabouts. I even made child-friendly flashcards to go with them! The rhymes are a bit off but I'm not a poet, and I know it.
Wow..now that rhymed.

Oy vey! The Cathechism in Hebrew!

2012-01-19T10:00:00.002-06:00

Jesus and the Pharisees: "Art thou mad, bra?"

The Catechism is being published in HEBREW! I did a double-take this morning when I read about it but it makes good sense.

L’Osservatore Romano reports that the first three volumes of the Catechism (presumably the first three parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church) have been translated into Hebrew. Father David Neuhaus, the Latin patriarch’s vicar for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Jerusalem, worked “silently and discreetly” on the translation, with the assistance of Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land.
Father Neuhaus explains that the Hebrew-speaking Catholics to whom he ministers “are mainly of mixed Israeli origin: relatives of Jews, children of Jews, some converted Jews and other persons who are not Jewish but have been integrated into Jewish society … We insist on Christian formation, Christian in a secular and Jewish environment.”
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=13031

I was even more surprised to follow a link to a community of Hebrew speaking Catholics living in Israel. The mind boggles! However, I am a bit comforted that the original hearers of the Gospel are still out there.

L'Chaim!

SOPA/ PIPA: Nefarious Papist Plot

2012-01-18T09:15:00.002-06:00

Wikipedia is blacked out today as well as other sites to call attention to the legislation concerning internet piracy. There are two bits of legislation out there to police activity on the internet. It's not just teh evill Repbulicans!!!111 but Democrats seem also to be in favor of such laws.

What it is is sort of fuzzy so I checked around and found this:

Who is really behind the so call "Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)" and the "PROTECT IP Act (PIPA)"? Do you know that the Pope the leader of the Roman Catholic Church have given the Order to Remove the Book of Revelation from the Holy Bible? Do you know that the Vatican removed the word "Antichrist" from the Holy Bible two years ago?
Now, you know who is really the "One" who's controlling the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The Vatican's pedophiles wants to take over "The free and open Internet" by using the excuses of "Piracy Act". The Cathlics wants to create another "Inqusition" by Removing from the Internet Videos, Books, eBooks and Photos of the Torture Instruments that they used in the past during the Inquisition, 2nd World War and in countries of South Americans against the Infidels and the Protestant's Christians with the help of the Jesuits "Vatican's Assassins". The Catholics wants to bring "Hell" is to your house again just like in the past.
http://www.topix.com/forum/world/T9LTONE1U3QPN8H2G

"Bring to me this Nyan cat. Its powers concern me."

Well now. It's out there. The Pope doesn't want you to see those photos of the Inquisition. Honestly, I haven't seen them either.

In honor of National Vocations Awareness Week

2012-01-17T14:18:00.000-06:00

And here are some helpful links for those of you who might be discerning a call to the priesthood or the religious life:

- For Your Vocation
- Vocation Boom

For our readers in/from Mississippi:

- Diocese of Jackson Vocations Office
- Diocese of Biloxi Vocations Office

And from those of you from outside of the Great State of Mississippi, the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors has a great map with contact information for all the dioceses within the United States.

And finally, for all of us, a new site dedicated to thanking the men of our Church who have dedicated their lives to the service of Christ and his people. Read inspiring stories of priesthood lived out to the fullest: Letters to Priests.

Inking for the Lawd!

2012-01-17T13:16:00.001-06:00

Now I've heard of coffee shops in churches and even restaurants... but a tattoo parlor? Seriously....?

From Jackson's own Clarion Ledger:

A Michigan pastor who says he's doing everything he can to reach out to people who don't feel comfortable at a traditional house of worship has opened a tattoo parlor inside his church.

Rev. Steve Bentley of The Bridge, a church located inside a Flint Township shopping center, said his ministry is built on the belief that mainstream religion has become ineffective and irrelevant to most people.

To that end, he opened Serenity Tattoo.

Tattoo artists Ryan Brown and Drew Blaisdell work by appointment or from noon until 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, at the county-licensed tattoo shop that sits not far from Bentley's office as well as the watering trough that he uses for baptisms.

Bentley, who has two tattoos, said he understands some don't like the idea of Serenity Tattoo inside the church, but the pastor considers tattooing a "morally neutral" practice that he likens to getting one's ears pierced.

"We are about doing church in a different way and being relevant to people," Bentley told The Flint Journal. "You can get a tattoo in a clean environment. You can do it while still sticking to your moral code."

Brown is a recovering alcoholic who said the atmosphere inside the church building has helped to keep him focused and on the right path.

"I was running my own studio. I was just working. There wasn't much purpose in it," he said. "I was struggling with whether I could keep my studio" and stay sober.

"I prayed a lot and decided the best thing was to close it and come to the church. I figured I could have a lot more positive impact" here, Brown said.

The church owns 30,000 square feet inside the Flint-area shopping center.

Bentley said about 1,000 people call The Bridge their home church, and up to 500 in total attend his three weekend services

The pastor makes an effort to talk to all who visit Serenity Tattoo, he said, although not all end up checking out the church.

Let's just hope their tattoo artist is better than this guy. Of course, they could always get some ugly Mary tattoos.

How clean can you kiss a leper?

2012-01-16T00:00:00.005-06:00

Every once in a while, a row will be kicked up concerning the liturgy by a group of parishioners who don't like the Latin, hate a bigger church with younger people and don't care for change at all.
Hrmmmm...
A group of old white people who hate foreign language, expansion of borders, young people and change?
Wow.
We gots Tea Party!

But yesterday, we sang a few congregational songs that should surely soothe the savage beasts.

One of the songs we chose has sort of a sing-songy melody and a little Janet Jacksony.

The song is called "The Summons" and the melody is an old Scottish theme called "Kelvingrove".

I did a little looking into Kelvingrove and found out that it's the tune of a ditty called "Oh the Shearin's No' for You". Which isn't about sheep, as the singers of "Burning Bridget Cleary" say in their intro to our next video, it's about a man who tells his wife "she's too old for fun". Give a listen.

Further back, as if that song weren't dreary enough, it seems the original tune was about a rape. The story is how the victim was forced to marry her assailant as she was pregnant from the attack:
Well I'll no kill you deid my bonnie lassie o
No I'll no kill you deid my bonnie lassie o
No I'll no kill you deid, nor will I harm your pretty heid
I will marry you with speed my bonnie lassie o

I guess marriage is better than being deid.

The liturgical adaptation of Kelvingrove, The Summons, has some equally disturbing bits to it.

No, the disturbing part isn't the rapid fire old folks chorus or the womyn priestess. It's the overabundance of loving, touching and leper-kissing that skeeves me out.

Will you let the blinded see
If I but call your name?
Will you set the pris’ners free
And never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean,
And do such as this unseen,
And admit to what I mean
In you and you in me?

Will you love the ‘you’ you hide
If I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
And never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found
To reshape the world around,
Through my sight and touch and sound
In you and you in me?

Is it just me or when a guy sings that song and even if you know it's about Jesus it makes Jesus seem creepy and needy? And a bad pick up artist.

And to the demands of Lord Touchtouchmethere, I have to answer a resounding "NO". I ain't kissing no lepers clean. I don't think I can. I don't even think I'm canonically allowed to kiss a clean leper.
And who's the 'you' I'm hiding? And why is the 'you' in quotes? What makes that you so special?

I'd expect better out of the composer. I mean, this from the guy who sang "Christmas Katie" and "Can't Get High"?

John Bell of Widespread Panic

Oh..wait...wrong John Bell.

This is the John Bell who wrote it.
John Bell is the most prolific composer of liturgical music from Scotland's Iona Community; his songs are noted equally for their solid theology, their concern for justice, and their ease for congregational singing. His work is distributed in the U.S. by GIA Publications
Iona. Justice. Congregational Singing. GIA. Wow, even Widespread would think this is too far out.

Ughh. There is nothing wholly scriptural, catechetical or just about this song. If I was in a park or maybe a skate park and sang it, I'd be tazered and Batman'd. Litmus test for Jesus songs: You can sing them around children without being pepper sprayed. This one fails.

Liturgical music for a while was all about touching, hugging and dancing but, to quote the old song:
Tak' the buckles frae yer shoon, my bonnie lassie o
Tak' the buckles frae yer shoon, my bonnie lassie o
Tak' the buckles frae yer shoon, for you've married sic a loon
An' yer dancin' days are done, my bonnie lassie o

From the "cool Catholic stuff" file...

2012-01-15T06:58:00.000-06:00

The Catholic cathedral of St. Joseph in Buffalo, New York, recently discovered a long-lost piece of its own history, tucked away in the corner of the building's sacristy. A rare tapestry - apparently a gift from Pope Pius IX (d. 1878) to the diocese's first bishop, Bishop John Timon (d. 1867).

The design of the tapestry displays the feasts on the Church calendar (as it stood in the 1860s) for all 365 days of the year. For each feast day, a relic is sewn into the fabric. Relics of hundreds of saints are joined to the tapestry and, in the center is a relic of the True Cross - a tiny sliver of wood from what it believed to be the Cross of Christ. The relic of the True Cross is surrounded by the Latin words: "In hoc, vinces" (In this, conquer) - an ancient motto connected with Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor.

You can read the full article from the Buffalo News about the historic find here. Just an all around cool Catholic story. FWIW, the reliquary/tapestry is now hanging prominently in the cathedral's sacristy.

Catholic chic: Saints for Sinners... groupon!

2012-01-14T06:50:00.000-06:00

I've written before about Saints for Sinners - the eye-catching medals straight from the heart of New Orleans. If you don't own one of their hand-painted medals, you should. And for a limited time, they have a groupon which allows you to buy two medals for the price of one. Great deal.

Do I get anything for this shameless product plug? No.

But I'm always willing to get the word out on ways that we can reclaim our Catholic identity. Wearing a saint medal or a Miraculous Medal is one definitive way to do just that. Plus, they're just cool.

I've bought these medals both online and in New Orleans and can vouch for the superb customer service and quality product that Rob provides. Just wanted to pass on to all our readers, the fact that with the groupon, you can get a great deal on a great medal. Good stuff all around.

Happy Festum Asinorum!

2012-01-14T00:00:00.036-06:00

The Venerable Ass

Today on the medieval calendar, Churches celebrated "THE FEAST OF THE ASS".This politically incorrect tale tells us more:

The 'Festival of the Ass,' and other religious burlesques of a similar description, derive their origin from Constantinople; being instituted by the Patriarch Theophylact, with the design of weaning the people's minds from pagan ceremonies, particularly the Bacchanalian and calendary observances, by the substitution of Christian spectacles, partaking of a similar spirit of licentiousness,—a principle of accommodation to the manners and prejudices of an ignorant people, which led to a still further adoption of rites, more or less imitated from the pagans. According to the pagan mythology, an ass, by its braying, saved Vesta from brutal violence, and, in consequence, ' the coronation of the ass ' formed a part of the ceremonial feast of the chaste goddess.

An elaborate sculpture, representing a kneeling ass, in the church of St. Anthony at Padua, is said to commemorate a miracle that once took place in that city. It appears that one morning, as St. Anthony was carrying the sacrament to a dying person, some profane Jews refused to kneel as the sacred vessels were borne past them. But they were soon rebuked and put to contrition and shame, by seeing a pious ass kneel devoutly in honour of the host. The Jews, converted by this miracle, caused the sculpture to be erected in the church. It takes but little to make a miracle.
http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/jan/14.htm

There also was a corruption of the liturgy on this feast day that went like this:

Mass was continued, and at its end, apparently without awakening the least consciousness of its impropriety, the following direction (in Latin) was observed: In fine Missae sacerdos, versus ad populum, vice 'Ite, Missa est', ter hinhannabit: populus vero, vice 'Deo Gratias', ter respondebit, 'Hinham, hinham, hinham.'(At the end of Mass, the priest, having turned to the people, in lieu of saying the 'Ite missa est', will bray thrice; the people instead of replying 'Deo Gratias' say, 'Hinham, hinham, hinham.')*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Ass

The more things change...

I made up some downloadable Feast Day cards for all of you to print up and, maybe this Sunday, pass on to your Ass at Mass (rhymes!)!

Front

Back

*hinham must mean "hee haw" in Latin. Still sounds funny.

A thought-provoking Catholic response to "Jesus>religion"

2012-01-13T10:11:00.001-06:00

If you've seen the video "Jesus>religion" (aka "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"), you probably nodded your head in agreement with some of the, thoughts... er, lyrics. It has a strong emotional appeal (not to mention great video editing). But is it all true?

Bad Catholic has a thought-provoking response to the video that's burning up the ether around the net:

It’s worth beginning with this: I agree with this guy on a lot of points. He reminds us Catholics of a striking truth; that without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, religion is a joke. He speaks the truth that Christ died for our sins, once and for all. I can’t help but think, in the midst of all this, that this hating-religion-loving-Jesus thing is the logical consequence of Protestantism. For a 21st-century Protestant looking at a thousand-something churches, I imagine there is an immense temptation to say “It’s all a wash. I will follow Christ, not a religion,” and be done with it. I empathize with him, knowing that if I were a Protestant I would be in full agreement: There is either one, true religion or there is no religion at all.

But nevertheless, there are two main problems with this video. 1. Jesus Christ would strongly disagree with it. That is to say, the creator of this video is very, very wrong. 2. He’s very, very wrong with some great video editing, good background music, a strong emotional appeal, catchy rhyme, and all in relatively well-timed YouTube moment. He’s wrong in style. When a man gains immense popularity by making blanket statements stylistically, how likely is it that his followers will read a rebuttal making specific statements prosaically? I don’t know, but rebut I must, for it is the duty of the Catholic to resist fashion and fads, no matter how unfashionable he looks doing it.

Catholicism: Taking the long, boring route to Truth since 37 A.D.
So onto the first bit of silliness — the idea that Jesus came to abolish religion. Unforgivable. He literally said the opposite: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” What were the Law and the Prophets? Judaism. What is Judaism? A religion. What did Jesus specifically say he was NOT going to abolish? That’s right. A religion. (Aaand you just got Kris Kringled.)

This is made apparent not only in the words, but in the actions of Jesus Christ. Whether you believe in the sacraments or not, there is no doubt that Christ established ritual. It’s one thing to ignore Christ’s statement to “eat my body.” It’s another to ignore his command to “do this in memory of me.”

Christ commanded that we have ritual. The early church followed this ritual, they obeyed his command to “do this in memory of me.” We know this because Paul says: “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?” Does the mere Christ-follower-religion-hater obey Christ’s command to eat his body and drink his blood, and to do it in memory of Him? I do not mean ask whether they believe in the True Presence of Christ in the bread and wine, I simply mean to ask whether they follow the ritual Christ established at all? If not, it would seem that to be a Christ-follower is to ignore the commands Christ bids you follow. And there’s more of this Christ guy being ridiculously religious.

He established a priesthood in the Apostles. If that word freaks you out, I’ll rephrase: He gave certain men very distinct roles.

Christ gave them the power to forgive sins: ”If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” (John 20:23)
He gave men power to make decisions concerning doctrine: ”I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)

He built a Church: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
He called men to the sacrament of Baptism. These are not things available to the mere Christ-follower, unless he truly believes that whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven, and all the rest. So knowing that Christ so clearly established a Church, with rituals, with priests, and with sacraments, our man’s statement “What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?” can only be answered with, “What if He told you you were wrong?”

“If religion is so great, why has it started so many wars?” says he. And honestly, thisseems to be his only real charge against religion, all else is mere personal experience. While it is true that a war may be fought over an excess of hatred, it is equally true that a war may be fought for an excess love of freedom. A man may strike another man because he is filled to bursting with bitter, archaic beliefs. He may also strike a man to stop him from killing a baby. The fact that religion starts wars could equally be held as evidence that religion is good as evidence that it is bad. For men desire good and will fight for it far more often than they will fight for bad. Did Christ not say “I have not come to bring peace, but the Sword?” And of course this is true, I know it on a personal level: I would not be tempted to fight the man who slanders me. I would be tempted fight the man who slanders my God. Christ brings me the Sword. Would I be morally justified in my desire to fight? Probably not. The point is simply that it is Iwho am accountable the fight, not my religion. If it is a bad thing to fight, my religion is the good for which I would forget myself and be bad. That is no more reason for rejecting religion than for rejecting your wife, who — when threatened — might very well lead you to kill.

Do not take away the ennoblement of the poor.

He goes on: “Why does [religion] build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor.” I’m getting serious ‘by-religion-I-mean-Catholicism’ vibes from our man. First of all, religion does not fail to feed the poor. What — if you don’t mind me asking — is the number-one most charitable organization in the universe? The Red Cross? Nope. The Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Effort? Hahahahaha, but no. It’s the Roman Catholic Church. As for the building big churches bit, I could give an entire post on how silly of an attack that is, and how insulting it is to the poor man,but I already did. For now I’ll just say this: Go to a man in poverty who attends a beautiful church and offer to tear down the beauty that surrounds him, to melt down the gold so he can buy more food. You will never see a man more insulted.

He then gives himself away. “[Religion] tells single Moms God doesn’t love them if they’ve had a divorce.” Alright. This is one of those few times I actually get annoyed. First of all, unless you’re the WBC, there is not a single Christian denomination that says that there is any possible way you could get God not to love you. This is a basic premise of Christianity. We are never unloved. We may reject God, but He never, ever, ever rejects us. So I’ll take his “God doesn’t love…” bit to actually mean religion is against divorce. But there is only one major Christian denomination that is opposed to divorce: The Roman Catholic Church. So when this man says ‘religion’ — in this case — he means The Roman Catholic Church. And it’s true, we have the terrible habit of believing Christ meant what he said:

“They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”‘

So once again, I must ask, why is it that following Christ while disdaining religion leads to the direct contradiction of Christ’s teachings? It’s a silliness of modern Christianity, to love Christ partially — “Ah yes, he saved me, died for me, opened the gates of Heaven for me, and I accept him as my personal Lord and Savior, but not what he said about that whole no divorce thing. That was just whack and unloving.”

A common theme throughout the video is our man’s complaint that religion is just behavior modification, a list of rules to follow, and thus doesn’t get to the core of the matter — the call to love Christ as a response to his sacrifice on the cross. First of all, this is an absolutely valid critique of what religion should not be. If it is just a set of rules and not a love affair, it is dead. You can’t have works without faith any more than you can have faith without works. But the idea that following rules is inherently contradictory to loving Christ flies in the face — yet again — not of religion, but of Christ. He says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Love of Christ requires obedience to his commands. You cannot have one without the other.

Our man then clarifies — He loves the Bible. This is interesting. Did Christ hand out Bibles before he ascended into Heaven? No. The Bible is the product of a religion. A religion is called Catholicism.“If Jesus came to your church, would they let him in?”
Um, yes. We actually snagged a picture.

So this is awkward.

But in all seriousness, the last part of the video is awesome. It’s a darn good explanation of how Christ died for our sins, how we are saved not by our own merits, but by his Grace. I’m not sure why it goes against Christ to be a religion that teaches exactly what our man is teaching in this video.

“Because I believe that when Jesus said ‘It is Finished’, he meant it.” When Jesus said it is finished he died, and yes, without a doubt, his sacrifice was found acceptable to God. It truly is finished — nothing can take away the fact that we have been redeemed. But we can choose to reject this redemption. That’s why after the Resurrection, Christ appeared to Peter — upon whom he had said he would build His Church — and told him “feed my lambs.” Christ knew we would need instruction, guidance and example. Jesus established a Church to proclaim to the end’s of the earth that “It is Finished.” He established a religion to make known his salvation. I reject the video’s message, not simply because it wades in the shallows of theology, forever fearing to plunge into the depths of what Christ actually did here on Earth, but because it is lonely. It is a call to figure out the mysteries of God on one’s own, with nothing but a book one must deny was given to him by religion. No, this is silly. God gave us a Church to aid us on the journey, so that we might be one. To love Jesus and hate religion is equivalent to calling upon a doctor and smashing all his instruments when he arrives.

This my basic critique. It is not a true defense of the concept of religion, which I defend not so much as something good or bad, but as an urge as primordial and wonderful as sex and song. It isn’t a small thing that we seek to understand, it is the framework of our universe, by which we understand everything else. But as usual, the Internet isn’t big enough for all that. Still, it’s only fair that if we started with a stylized, anti-religion video, we can end with a stylized pro-religion video:

Popular Catechetics Lied To Me, pt 122

2012-01-13T04:20:00.002-06:00

James Joyce used an ipatch to do his writing. Haha...

January 13th is the anniversary of the death of novelist, James Joyce (d. 1941). Joyce was an Irish writer, poet and, to make this about us, an influence on William Faulkner by introducing the "stream-of-consciousness" style of writing. Later known as "blogging".

During my days in seminary, there was this cute thing hip-young priests, short-haired sisters in Birkenstocks, and poofy haired housewives-cum-theologians known as DRE's, would say: "As the writer James Joyce said, 'Catholic means '"here comes everybody"''" or the even bolder, "As James Joyce wrote in his work Finnegan's Wake, 'Catholic means "here comes everybody"".

Not willing to admit that I haven't read any of Joyce's works nor familiar with Ulysses, I would laugh knowingly and puff my pipe in the drawing room along with the other lads. In my smoking jacket and slippers.

Today, thinking of Joyce's quote, I decided to check it out on the internet. The only thing that is said about him defining "Catholicism" as "Here Comes Everybody" comes from people saying he said it. Religious people. DRE kind of people. Jesuits who wear turtlenecks and use clay chalices. Holy smart people. Who wear stonewear around their neck. Smart.

But no Joyce scholar has said it and it comes up nowhere in Joyce's quotation s. There's even a discussion on a dead Amy Welborn site that argues the invalidity of the statement and THE PLOT TO CORRUPT THE CHURCH by using it. But, then again, the Open Tabernacle (sic) uses it for their theme. Themes. Muhahaha. How DRE'y!

A catechetical (sic) book named for a quote that wasn't about the Church

A book on Catholic education (sic) named for the quote not meant about Catholicism.

Turns out, on the Welborn link, someone had the presence of mind to READ JOYCE and find the quote. Nothing. So the blame goes to Flannery O' Connor (I've read her stuff, by the way) who also said no such thing.

Much to my suspicions, it was untrue. And Joyce? Far from being portrayed as a struggling Catholic, was sort of comfortable with non-belief or at least a belief in a benign God who was not really invested in humanity. Or that's what the internet says.

LOL CATZ NOES MOAR THEN CATUKISTS!

Internet, Internet. You shatter again the illusions of my neo-Catholic upbringing. What's the next veil to drop? Gonna tell me that Tai-Chi isn't a Catholic form of bodily expression like the Spiritual Formation director told me in seminary? Women were not deacons in the Church like the seminars on vocations say? I guess you'll tell me that liturgists aren't building up the city of God with glad tambourine!

Touch me with your truth, Google. I shall be healed.

Catholics have been Tebowing for centuries!

2012-01-12T11:07:00.003-06:00

What the heck is a cardinal, anyway?

2012-01-12T05:13:00.000-06:00

Apart from the newly-crowned national football champions (Go SEC!), there's been another tide of crimson on the horizon in the news:

Earlier this week, Pope Benedict announced a consistory inwhich he will raise 22 prelates to the Sacred College of Cardinals. Among thenewly named cardinals are two Americans: Timothy Dolan, the current archbishopof New York and Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, the former archbishop of Baltimoreand the current Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre ofJerusalem.

I was gonna post that news and leave it at that. But it occurred to me that for most of us, that one paragraph is packed with lots of terms thatcould use unraveling and defining. In fact this one news item is replete withenough high technical Catholic speak to make a layperson’s head spin… not tomention what it must do to our gracious non-Catholic readers. So let’s play aneducational game that I like to call, “What the heck does all of that mean?!?”

Let’s get started:

“Earlier this week…”

Okay. I assume we’ve all got that one. Moving on.

“…Pope Benedict…”

You know – the Holy Father; the Successor of St. Peter andthe Vicar of Christ, and all that.

“…announced aconsistory…”

Okay. The key term here is “consistory.” What is aconsistory? Basically, it’s a fancy word for a meeting of the Church’scardinals. Each time the cardinals meet officially, it’s called a consistory. There is one exception: whenthe cardinals meet to elect the new pope, that meeting is called conclave. Let’s keep going.

“…in which he willraise 22 prelates to the Sacred College of Cardinals.”

Now it’s getting fun. First of all, what are “prelates?” Theterm “prelate” is just a fancy word that can be used to describe Church leaders(especially bishops). And now, a really important term: “Sacred College ofCardinals.”

“Sacred College” is a schmoozey synonym for “group,” andit’s simply the official name of the collective group of cardinals of theChurch.

“So, what’s a cardinal?” you ask. Well, basically, acardinal is an official in the Church who has two important responsibilities.

Firstly, cardinals help the Pope in his role of governingthe Church. You have to remember that the Church is big… really big. In fact, it’shuge. Somewhere close to 1.2 billion of the world’s population is Catholic.

So to better serve the members of the Church throughout theworld, the Church has developed (throughout the centuries) a series ofdepartments (called by the Italian word dicasteries)that help to govern certain aspects of daily Church life. Examples ofdicasteries are the Secretariat of State (remember the Vatican is not just thespiritual headquarters of the Church, it is also a City-State), and“congregations” which help to govern aspects of Christian life such as theCongregation for Bishops, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline ofthe Sacraments. Each of these dicasteries is headed by a cardinal.

So, in that regard, you could say that cardinals serve asimilar role in service to the Pope as cabinet members do for a U.S. President.They advise the Holy Father and help to run the day-to-day operations of theChurch.

Secondly, cardinals are the ones responsible for electing anew pope whenever the seat of Peter becomes vacant (by death or resignation).That’s a pretty heavy call. When a pope dies, the cardinals meet together inconclave. Only cardinals who are 80 years old or younger at the start of theConclave, may have a vote in electing the next pope.

Historically, the term “cardinal” comes from the Latin word cardo, referring to a door hinge. In themedieval Church, the title referred to the priests who were assigned to ancientand important parish churches (called “titular parishes”) around Rome –assignments which came with important duties as these “incardinated” priestsacted as a sort of “priestly council” in aiding the Bishop of Rome (i.e. thePope) in his ministry to the city of Rome and to the wider Church. By thetwelfth century, popes began to appoint priests and bishops from outside ofRome as cardinals. These extra-Roman cardinals would be assigned as thesymbolic pastors of the old titular parishes in Rome and the surrounding areas.Interestingly, this tradition still exists as each modern cardinal is still assigneda titular church. This is all little more than symbolic nowadays as each of thetitular churches has its own actual pastors and staff – but it is a beautifulconnection to the past.

“Among the newlynamed cardinals are two Americans: Timothy Dolan, the current archbishop of NewYork…”

Cardinals are traditionally chosen from among the ordinaries (i.e. bishops or archbishops)of large and/or important dioceses and archdiocese from throughout the world. Thesemen bring with them valuable experience in Church government and a realconnection to (and hopefully a real understanding of) their local flock and thechallenges that the Church faces in their own little corner of the globe. Thisis invaluable in the cardinals’ role as advisors to the Holy Father. While somecardinals move to Rome to carry out their new duties and responsibilities,most, remain in their home see (i.e. diocese) and go to Rome only when officialbusiness (or an impending conclave) warrants. This explains why ArchbishopDolan, for example, will continue to serve as the archbishop of New York. Hejust now has a fancier title (Cardinal Dolan) and more responsibilities.

“…and ArchbishopEdwin O’Brien, the former archbishop of Baltimore and the current Grand Masterof the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.”

Archbishop O’Brien, who is the retired archbishop ofBaltimore, is an example of a soon-to-be cardinal who will live in Rome.Retired and no longer the ordinary (i.e. bishop) of his diocese, he is theGrand Master (i.e. leader – but “Grand Master” sounds much cooler) of theEquestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, an order of Catholicknighthood which traces its origins all the way back to the First Crusade andits first recognition by the pope in 1113. So, with this paragraph, hopefullywe’ve learned two things: that there are still Knights from the Crusader-eraand their leader is a retired American archbishop.

The new American cardinals will be among 22 which will begiven the red hat in February. Oh – I probably didn’t mention that one otherperk of being a cardinal is that you get to wear a lot of red (see below). Currently, thereare 192 members of the College of Cardinals. 17 of those are from the U.S.

A saintly Doodle

2012-01-11T09:04:00.000-06:00

Did you see today's Google Doodle?

It honors the 374th birthday (today) of Nicholas Steno - the "father of geology." I didn't know a whole lot about him, but I thought you might be interested in what I found.

Born in 1638 in Copenhagen, Denmark, Steno was a pioneering scientist in geology, paleontology and anatomy. His contributions to furthering a scientific understanding of the makeup of our planet and to the inner workings of biological organisms (including the human heart) is unparalleled. He was truly a pioneer in the field of science.

Oh, and he was a Catholic bishop, too.

Bl. Nicholas Steno

In fact, Steno - a convert to Catholicism from the Lutheran faith at the age of 29 - was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1988. His feast day on the Church calendar is December 5. In addition to his tireless efforts of scientific exploration, Bl. Steno was hailed as a living saint during his lifetime. He navigated the difficult terrain of Church and secular politics during his lifetime and did so with an endearing sincerity and as a shining example of Christian charity. His political enemies made fun of his piety, but he steadfastly persevered in living out the Faith in inspiring ways.

You've gotta love it when something routine like your favorite search engine leads you to learn more about your faith. Small graces. Thanks, Google, for honoring Bl. Nicholas Steno today!

Anyone else having problems with the new year?

2012-01-10T10:21:00.002-06:00

Let us pray for our new governor

2012-01-10T09:23:00.001-06:00

Today we inaugurate the newest governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant. He, along with any of our civic leaders, need our prayers.

God our Father,

You guide everything in wisdom and love.

Accept the prayers we offer for our nation.

In your goodness,

watch over those in authority

so that people everywhere

may enjoy freedom, security and peace.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.
(from the USCCB)

Baptism: POWER!

2012-01-09T09:48:00.001-06:00

We celebrate the Feast of Our Lord's Baptism today. This completes the trifecta of Epiphanies: Saturday commemorated the Wedding at Cana (it was the gospel reading anyway), yesterday featured the visit of the Magi and today is the Baptism of Christ.

The Second Vatican Council instructed:
The term laity is here understood to mean all the faithful except those in holy orders and those in the state of religious life specially approved by the Church. These faithful are by baptism made one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God; they are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world. (Lumen Gentium, V.31).

I highlighted the buzz words in the document because those words, sadly, have become fighting words. People see baptism as conferring POWER on them instead of functions that serve. POWER hunger has been a downfall of the Church from the beginning. Remember those boys in Jesus' company wanting authority? Spoiler alert: They didn't get it. When anyone thinks he or she should be given POWER and doesn't get it, it creates division and unhappiness. Jesus only promises service, not POWER. Unless it's the power to serve.

When you think you have to fight for POWER, then you're not happy to serve. When you're happy to serve, you see you gain power.

Wow, I just said something Kung-Fu like.

"Master Po, many candles make much light. And provides romantic ambiance for relaxing bath."

For some reason this morning I was reminded of something a speaker said at one of the Diocesan education conferences I was ~~made to~~ happy to attend in the 90's. His name escapes me but what he said was: "People say they are 'called by baptism' and they talk about joy in being Christian. How come we have so many people talking about joyful praise and joyful music and joyful communities but when you see the way they treat their neighbor or the way they talk about other people, you would think they weren't baptized by water but by lemon juice!"

He then made this really sour face and talked in a nasally affected way.

Christians, be happy and baptized! Serve someone. Serve your neighbor. Call your momma. Do something selfless. Thank someone who you admire.

Chant this mantra that I just made up:
Don't be sour and seek power, serve and know how to..umm...lurve.

La Befana: Christmas Witch

2012-01-08T07:31:00.000-06:00

I was doing a bit of reading on Epiphany customs and ran across the custom in Italy known as "La Befana". The legend goes that a woman, Befana (short for "epiphany") was invited by the Magi to go see the Christ-child. She refused to go but later regretted it so now she travels around the world seeking the baby and doing favors for children on the eve of Epiphany. And she travels on a broom!

La Befana, the action figure!

More here. and here.

And if you like your witches a little cuter, then check out this video from a Bella Befana!

Happy Epiphany! ...sort of

2012-01-06T13:55:00.000-06:00

Today is January 6. Which means that it has been twelve days since Christmas. Simple math, really. Why does that matter. Well, today is the “Twelfth Day of Christmas” (you know the song – partridge in a pear tree and all). But beyond an 18^th century Christmas carol, there are important historical links between today (January 6) and Christmas.

Epiphany and Christmas – what’s the connection?

Let’s go back to square one. First of all, nobody (that we know of) thought to write down Jesus’ birthday. Believe it or not, things like exact birthdays just weren’t that important in the first century and weren’t written down. In the third and fourth centuries, however, there was a clamoring to add a celebration of Christ’s birth to the Church calendar. At that point, the main feasts of the Church were Easter, followed by (in order of solemnity) Pentecost and the Ascension. There was also already a long-standing tradition of saints’ days (marking the “heavenly birthdays” of martyred believers).

Birthday of the sun or birthday of the Son?

Sometime during the late third century, local churches began to add a commemoration of Christ’s birth to their local calendars. In the West, December 25 was added to the calendar as the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Some have speculated that this date was chosen to coincide with the Winter Solstice which was, at that time, celebrated on December 25 and which pagan Romans viewed as the “birthday of the sun” (– get it? Christians one-upped them by setting the same day as the birthday of the true Sun of Righteousness, cf. Malachi 4:2), but this notion is a somewhat recent one.

A more interesting (and ancient) theory

In recent years, many scholars have revived a very ancient argument that the date of December 25 was actually chosen precisely because it fell nine months after March 25. Here’s how it worked: Many early Church Fathers considered that Jesus was crucified on the 14^th dayof the Jewish Lunar month, Nisan (as the Gospel of John records). This date was the equivalent of March 25 on the Roman (solar) calendar. Great figures in Roman antiquity were assumed to have lived “complete years.” In other words, the day that they died was assumed to have been the exact day that they entered into the world, however many years earlier. If Jesus died on March 25 on the Roman calendar, these Church Fathers assumed that he entered into the world on March 25, some 33 years earlier. And when did he enter into the world? At the Annunciation, where Mary gave her fiat, and Christ was conceived in her womb; and nine months later, on December 25, he would have been born.

And in the East...

At any rate, and regardless of the reason, during the early fourth century, the Christian West began to observe December 25 as the feast of Christ’s Nativity. But a different date arose in the Churches of the Eastern part of the Empire. In the Christian East, around the same time, Churches adopted January 6 as the date of a feast day which commemorated all of the mysteries of Christ, up to the time of his public ministry: his birth in Bethlehem, the visit of the Magi, his Baptism in the Jordan and his first miracle at the Wedding at Cana. These were all celebrated as “epiphanoi”, or “manifestations” of Christ’s divinity.

It seems that the Eastern Churches, too, in settling on January 6 as their day of Epiphany, did so by calculations based (in the same way as the West), on the date of Christ’s crucifixion. 14 Nisan on the Jewish calendar corresponds to April 6 on the local Greek calendars in the Roman east. Thus, following the same logic as was mentioned above, making January 6 (in their reckoning) the correct day of Christ’s birth.

Coming together

Eventually, over time, the Christian West and the Christian East began to recognize one another’s feasts and by the late fourth century, December 25 was imported onto Eastern Christian calendars as a separate feast of Christ’s Nativity while January 6 found a place on Western calendars as Epiphany. The emphasis in the West has on Epiphany has long been on the visit of the Gentile Magi as a “manifestation” of Christ’s divinity mission to save all of the world. In the Christian East, today is known as Theophany, stressing the manifestation of Christ not only as messiah, but as God.

What happened to Christmastide?

Traditionally, Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas Season (also known as Christmastide). That is why it is said that there are twelve days of Christmas. The time between December 25 and January 6 was one of continuous feasting which had Twelfthnight (the night of January 5) as its climax in celebration. But I also have to point out that we won’t celebrate Epiphany in the Church (at least in our diocese) until this coming Sunday, January 8. The deep-seated tradition of the Twelve Days of Christmas in our culture was evidently not taken into account when the Catholic bishops in our country began moving the commemoration of Epiphany to the first Sunday after January 1. The Holy See approved this move in 1984. The move did away with Christmastide and makes that cheesy old carol completely nonsensical.

Laissez les bons temps reouler!

Regardless of Church-mandated movement, today is still important in parts of the Deep South where Carnival is celebrated. Twelfthnight is the official kickoff for the Carnival Season in New Orleans, Mobile and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where many of our friends will now begin a season of parades, balls and king cakes that ends on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the day before Ash Wednesday.

So, have a slice of king cake and have a wonderful Epiphany (I guess I can say that again this Sunday). So, laissez les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll!).

My brush with Andre

2012-01-06T10:22:00.001-06:00

Saint Andre Bessette

Today's (optional) Memorial is for Saint Andre Bessette. I was asked if I'd ever been to St. Joseph Basilica in Montreal which was built by Brother Andre in honor to St. Joseph. I replied, "That's out of town isn't it?"

However, a few years back, a parishioner brought me some oil from the Basilica. The bottle says:
"Brother Andre often advised those who came to him to rub themselves with some vegetable oil which had been burning in front of the statue of St. Joseph. Even today, oil used in this manner remains a link with our tradition. It is an expression of faith. It is not the oil itself which cures, but the Lord who hears the prayer of the faithful."

My Blessed Oil from Blessed Andre

Brother Andre was known to be a healer but never took credit for the "cure". He also understood that just as much as healing was good for the soul, sometimes enduring with pain or sickness was also a value.

On another occasion he said: "If the soul is sick, one must begin by treating the soul." His often repeated questions were well known: "Do you have faith? Do you believe that God can do something for you? Go confess yourself to the priest, go to communion and then come back to see me." These were the words he used constantly when asked for favors and cures.
Brother Andre understood the sense and the value of suffering and spoke with depth when addressing the subject. "People who suffer have something to offer to God. When they succeed in enduring their suffering, that is a daily miracle."
To someone who was suffering, he said: "Do not seek to have these trials lifted from you. Instead, ask for the grace to bear them well."
http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/broandre.htm

I'm more religious than spiritual. I just don't like disorganized spirituality.

2012-01-05T12:21:00.005-06:00

His name is Janus..haha

January! The great two-faced god Janus looks wistfully at the past while facing the future which may inspire many of us mere mortals to make resolutions for the new year. We have seen our past and want to change for the future. So we resolve.
We resolve to exercise. We resolve to go to church. We resolve to lose weight. We resolve to not drink. We resolve to give up cigarettes. We resolve to not butter the monkey. Resolve. Resolve. Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeesolve.

Now some of us follow through. I'd suspect a small percentage but some actually do what we resolved to do.
Some actually try and decide, for whatever reason, it's not for us or just not working out. Off goes the spanx and on with the sweatpants. Done. Pass the mayonnaise.
Some....and this is to my point...some of us decide that if we were to keep our resolution, something must change. And what must change is EVERYTHING BUT THE PERSON HIMSELF!

Be free of all possession. Shop now.

And so, every turn of the year, I get a visit. From a seeker. One making A JOURNEY. One who wants to get back into Church BUT...the Church isn't making it easy on them. Y'see, the journeyer is more SPIRITUAL! They don't care for ORGANIZED RELIGION! They don't like the RULES! They just want to COEXIST! And have a bumper sticker to prove it.

So let me go over my SPIRITUALITY FOR THOSE WHO ARE MORE SPIRITUAL talk:
1. We're all spiritual. Spirit is raw, untapped and untamed. Like the mind and body without discipline. As the mind must be trained by reading, thinking, logic, and problem solving and the body corrected through diet, exercise and training, the spirit has to be trained as well. It has it's own innate talent but needs training. It's like...well, let's say...it's like Dexter.

Nunanannananananaah (Bionic man noise)

Ecce homo!* You see the sinewy determination, the primal strength and if you gaze long enough can even see the vapor trails emanating from his swift form.

Spirit.

But all that talent in the rough needs to be trained and honed. Tempered and tested. Tugged on by a big moustachioed man.

Owies!

2. Religion is the trainer and proving ground of spirituality. It's the goal posts and the sidelines. It's the 2 minute warning and the call under further review. It takes that native energy and makes it fit for cooperation, corporation, selflessness and pursuant to a goal. It puts it on a team and sets boundaries which in turn draws admiration from others. Because to see talent exercised within the parameters of order is what packs stadiums. It is organized. It's organized spirits. It's a franchise!**

I believe a man can fly

To just watch a guy run unbridled, probably not gonna make the ESPN lineup. However, those who prefer their spirits to run free don't care who watches. So let those spirits run free. Stride with abandon. Let the wind carry your feet! Text and drive! Rock on!

Spirituality without religion is this guy. Maybe EXACTLY like this guy. Nice speedos, Aquababy!

*which means "behold the man". Just wanted to clarify.
**Ok, so the whole excellence analogy fails with the Chiefs but you get the message.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, ora pro nobis!

2012-01-04T10:11:00.000-06:00

Today is the feast day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was canonized in 1975, making her the first American-born saint. Born in New York in 1774, Elizabeth was raised Episcopalian but was received into full communion with the Catholic Church in 1805, two years after her husband's death. To support her five children, Elizabeth opened a school in Baltimore and followed a religious life with other women. In 1809, she took official vows as a religious sister and founded the Sisters of Charity in 1809.

St. Elizabeth led an inspirational life of following Christ and she helped others to do the same. Her simple rule of life was summed up in three steps that she proposed to her religious sisters: "The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will."

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, educator and servant of the poor, pray for us!

Morning Offering

2012-01-04T07:40:00.000-06:00

From my new Daily Roman Missal (which I highly recommend), a traditional prayer to start your day:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in thanksgiving for your favors, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

The liturgy is to blow the mind

2012-01-03T09:43:00.001-06:00

Hogwarts liturgy?

From the New York Daily News online:
The 84-year-old Benedict looked tired during Mass, but his voice was strong, and he smiled and chatted briefly with families and young children who carried gifts to him during the ceremony. He seemed amused by one pacifier-sucking infant as the parents kneeled before the pope.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? Womyn children dressed as the magi? And the pope CHATTING with the gift bearers?

Oh, Roman Liturgy, I love you. I just do.

What's in a name? ...or a symbol?

2012-01-02T14:04:00.000-06:00

As we've mentioned before on this site, each month of the year is traditionally dedicated to a specific devotion. January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.

It's easy to see how early Christians came to attach a great spiritual value on the very name of our Lord. In his letter to the Philippians, after all, St. Paul writes: "...God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend ... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil 2:9-11).

Names are important. They are not simply labels for a person; they are a verbal image of the person. Jesus' name, especially, is sacred. Sacred Scripture is full of examples of how the name of our Lord is powerful and effective. It is more than appropriate to honor and revere his name, for it is holy.

It is long-standing custom to bow one's head whenever the name of Jesus is uttered. In fact, Catholics are specifically instructed to bow our heads at every mention of Jesus' name during the Mass (as well as at the names of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady and the Saint being celebrated in that particular Mass).

The General Instructions of the Roman Missal (GIRM) (which you can read online here) clearly states:

"A bow signifies reverence and honor shown to the persons themselves or to the signs that represent them. There are two kinds of bow: a bow of the head and a bow of the body.

a) A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated." (GIRM, No. 275)

St. Bernadine of Siena (d. 1444)

The feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, which we celebrate today, dates back to the fifteenth century. But long before this, there was a fervent devotion to the Holy Name. St. Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) promoted devotion to the Holy Name as did the famed Franciscan preachers St. Bernadine of Siena (d. 1444) and St. John of Capistrano (d. 1456). Both Bernadine and John would preach missions in cities throughout Europe and carried with them wooden tablets painted with a monogram of the Holy Name, which they would encourage the faithful to venerate after their sermons. They also encouraged families to place a copy of the monogram of Jesus' name above the doors of their homes and above the gates in their cities. Many years later, the Society of Jesus (i.e. the Jesuits) adopted a version of the sacred monogram as the primary emblem for their society.

Today, it is common to see the monogram that Sts. Bernadine and John of Capistrano promoted used in Church artwork or as a decorative motif in churches and on sacred vestments. This monogram is comprised of three letters: IHS. These correspond to a Latinization of the first three letters in the Greek version of Jesus' name: IHSOYS (sometimes, it is written IHC, because C and S are interchangeable). So, this monogram is basically an abbreviation of Jesus' name.

There are other monograms associated with our Lord as well. Another well-known example is sometimes called the Christogram - a symbol where the Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P) are interposed on one another. This symbol is known as the "Chi Rho" (real original, huh?), and it is an ancient abbreviation for the Greek title "Christos,"or Christ. Chi and Rho are the first two letters in the spelling of this word. The Chi Rho has been used by Christians since the early centuries of the Church and it was adopted by the Roman Emperor Constantine as a symbol of his Christian faith and a symbol of the Empire. He had his soldiers paint the Chi Rho on their shields before battle and used it on the coinage that he minted, as did other Roman Emperors during the fourth through seventh centuries.

My challenge to you today is to take on a brand new New Year's resolution: honor the name of Jesus. How can you do this? Well, here are three easy tips:

1) During Mass, bow your head each time Jesus' name is uttered. Yep - every time. As we pointed out above, this isn't just a pious custom, it is actually one of the instructions for the faithful during Mass. So, not only will you actually be following what the Church asks us to do, you will actually start to develop a sensitivity to the gravity and power of our Lord's holy name.

2) If you use the Lord's name in vain, stop. Whether it's used nonchalantly or even as a curse word, we are not to use the Lord's name in vain. Be deliberate with your use of the Holy Name. If you're in a bad habit of blaspheming by cussing with Jesus' name, ask for God's help to stop.

3) Work on coming to an internal reverence for Jesus' name - whenever and wherever it is spoken. Jesus name literally means "God saves." Think about that for a moment. God saves. Whenever we say the name of our Lord with reverence and begin to consciously honor his name, we reaffirm the divine truth that in Jesus, God saves. That's pretty powerful stuff. There was a time when Catholic men would remove their hats and all Catholics would bow there heads whenever Jesus' name was spoken - anywhere and everywhere. When his name was taken in vain, Catholics in the room would cross themselves and mutter a silent prayer ("Blessed be the name of the Lord!"). Pious actions such as these can influence our faith over time - and can influence the faith of others who witness them.

Finally, in honor of the Holy Name of Jesus, try praying the Litany of the Holy Name today.

So, what's in a name (or a symbol)? Power. Blessing. Truth.

Blessed be the name of the Lord! Now and forever!

Turns out, hipsters kinda like us.

2012-01-02T13:20:00.003-06:00

The Local Voice

I picked up the local hipster paper, The Local Voice, while buying some last minute Christmas gifts (ie: liquor). Like most privately published weekly papers in cities or college towns, it highlights bands, entertainment, harps on sports and beats up politicans, and is highly inbred with in-jokes and referencing the groovy crowd in a if-you-don't-know-this-person-then-you're-not-cool way (like the Jackson Free Press or Mississippi Catholic..ha!).

Strangely, for the otherwise leftist stance, the Local Voice is VERY pro-Colonel Reb. Odd that a symbol retired due to it's implied insensitivity to race and culture is the unofficial mascot of the paper. He's fun to draw, I guess.

Just the same, the year end issue is the one I grabbed and yesterday, while looking it over, I noticed that the LV had a LOCAL FAVORITES of the year section. I was surprised by some of the results:

Wiggum gotta gun!

In the FAVORITE Clergy member, turns out, I'm like #11 in Honorable Mention. WOOO HOOO! Considering the Public Servant Category has "None of Them" as their third, that's saying something. I'm like the Chief Wiggum of clergy!

But even better, there was a CHURCH category!

Next to the Liquor Stores and over the Tattoo Parlor, FAVORITE CHURCH in the Number 3 position is
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST!
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEAH!

Next year, let's get number one. Imma grow a soul patch and make ironic references to My Little Pony and joke about something that happened at Main Squeeze that you had to be there to know. The choir will wear flannel shirts and moustaches and what was once donuts and coffee on Sunday morning is now tofu and PBR.

LET'S DO THIS!

A New Year and a new path home...

2012-01-02T10:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI announced the establishment of a new Church structure for Anglicans and Episcopalians in the U.S. who want to become Catholic. It is the second "personal ordinariate" founded in response to the 2009 document Anglicanorum coetibus, in which the Pope responded to the requests of disaffected Anglicans who want to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church in a way which preserves the good and unique aspects of their Anglican heritage - aspects such as beautiful hymnody and choral music and unique prayer and liturgical traditions. As described in the establishing document, the purpose of the ordinariate is "to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared."

On the technical side of things, a personal ordinariate is a Church structure similar to a diocese, but one that is nation-wide and led by an "ordinary" (a priest or a bishop) who is answerable directly to the Pope. Much like a diocese, an ordinariate has parish churches, priests and faithful. Naturally, the parishes that will be part of the Anglican ordinariate will preserve Anglican forms of worship and governance while being fully "Catholic" in their faith and in their relationship to the Successor of Peter (i.e. the Pope).

The first Anglican ordinariate, named Our Lady of Walsingham, was established last January in England and Wales. Yesterday, it was announced that the U.S. version is called the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter and it will be headquartered in Houston, Texas at Our Lady of Walsingham Church. Fr. Jeffrey Steenson, formerly the Episcopal Bishop of the Rio Grande but now a Catholic priest, will be the ordinary for the structure in the U.S.

For the vast majority of American Catholics, this development will not mean a whole lot. As you travel to different cities in the future and look for a place to fulfill your Sunday obligation to attend Mass, however, you might now have a few more choices. But from a Southern perspective, the birth of the ordinariate is interesting because many of the long-established Anglican parishes and groups who are lined up to join the Church through the ordinariate are in Southern states - especially Florida and Texas (the latter of which is the birthplace of Anglican Use Catholic parishes). You can take a look at the unofficial Google map of these communities.

Pray for these brothers and sisters of our who are beginning their journey into the Catholic fold and pray for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, who is the Pope of Christian unity!

Family Pictures

2011-12-30T09:16:00.002-06:00

+JMJ+

This is the last sweet image you will see in this post

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. Usually (although not traditionally), this feast is celebrated on the first Sunday within the Octave (8 days) of Christmas. Sunday, however, is the first of the year which means we celebrate Mary, Mother of God. Her feast day, a Holy Day of Obligation, trumps the feast of the Holy Family. In such case, the Friday before the Sunday is reserved for the Holy Family. That's why we have it today. I know, sort of took me by surprise, too. I mean I got up and opened the Ordo and BAM! there it was. This. Morning. I think there should be some alert system for this.

Anyway...

In honor of the many beautiful depictions of the first Christmas portrait, I give you the HOLY MAGOLY WHAT IN THE NAME OF FRESH HELL IS THAT FAMILY DOING? family portraits...

How come the dog is the only uncomfortable one in this pic?

Mom used Christmas as a cry for help during mid-life

This is why Santa smells like cough syrup

In a family of men, the mulleted one was called "Sugar"

"No, I'm just clumsy and if she hits me, I deserve it. Really."

Hey, Dad, this isn't time for the Facebook photo!

Merry Christmas, LSU!

Happy patronal feast day, St. John's!

2011-12-27T09:10:00.001-06:00

Today is the feast day of St. John - the evangelist and the apostle. The only of the disciples who authored a Gospel (which is why we call him the evangelist, or "Gospel-writer"), St. John was also known as the disciple whom Jesus loved, and he is the one who Jesus chose to take Mary into his home after the crucifixion - another sure sign that our Lord held him in the highest regard. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, John seems to have traveled and preached the Gospel before finally settling in the city of Ephesus. He is, of course, the patron saint of our Catholic parish here in Oxford, Miss.

Symbols of St. John

There are two main symbols that have come, over the centuries, to be associated with St. John. One of the symbols is the eagle. In the Bible, the Prophet Ezekiel described a vision of heaven where, around God's throne, were seraphs with the faces of a man, a lion, an ox and and an eagle. Over time, each of the four Evangelists (Gospel writers) became associated with one of these four symbols: Matthew with a man, Mark with a lion, Luke with an ox and John with an eagle. It is said that John became associated with the eagle because his Gospel (especially in the prologue) is so theological in nature, soaring, as it were, towards heaven - like an eagle.

The other symbol of St. John is the chalice. This association with the Evangelist comes from John's presence at the Last Supper (he was the only Gospel-writer who was also a Disciple of Christ), and from Jesus' words to John and his brother James: "My chalice, indeed, you shall drink." (Matthew 20:23). Often, St. John's chalice is depicted with a serpent crawling out of it. This image comes from a story about St. John in his latter days. The story says that someone tried to kill John by offering him a poisoned chalice of wine. Before drinking, John made the sign of the cross in blessing over the chalice and, when he did so, the poison took the form of a serpent and slithered out of the chalice. John then drank the remaining wine, unharmed.

St. John's Love

Because of the story of the poisoned chalice, it has become a tradition for priests to bless bottles of wine on St. John's feast day (today). In fact, in our parish, we have the blessing of wine after the Mass, in honor of St. John. Wine that has been blessed on St. John's feast day is often called the "Love of St. John." This blessed wine may be used for special occasions throughout the year.

Here is a traditional way of drinking "Love of St. John" with your family and friends. It comes from fisheaters.com.

When it is drunk on his Feast Day, we drink it before dinner as a toast to St. John. The Father of the house lifts his glass toward Mother and says, "I drink you the love of St. John." The Mother replies "I thank you for the Love of St. John" and then turns to the oldest child, lifts her glass, and says, "I drink you the love of St. John..." -- and on it goes down the line until each has been toasted.
The wine may be drunk as is, out of the bottle, or may be prepared as in this recipe:
St. John's Love (serves 8)
1 quart red wine
3 whole cloves
1/16 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 two-inch cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
Pour the wine into a large saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients. Boil for 5 minutes (this pretty much evaporates all of the alcohol). Serve hot, clinking glasses with the toast "Drink the love of St. John!" I suggest doing this in front of a roaring fire!

Family life: A vehicle for God's grace

2011-12-26T06:10:00.001-06:00

Today, on the Feast of St. Stephen - the first deacon and the first martyr for the Christian faith - I'll pass up the opportunity to write about the diaconate or martyrdom. Heady and important topics both, I'll concede, but I have been consumed lately with a draw to reflect on the blessings of family, on the vocation of marriage and on the graces that God provides in the still-small recesses of our homes.

Many of you are or will be called by God to the vocation of marriage and family life. But nearly all of us have families - even if only extended ones. And during the holidays, most of us are spending more time with our families than we have been accustomed to for some time.

Perhaps it's the Christmas season, with its inherent sentimentality; or maybe it is the reflective nature of the reality that yet another year is quickly drawing to a close, but whatever it is that seems to be drawing me in to prayerful reflections on these beautiful but often hidden spiritual truths about family, I am grateful because it has led me to some profound readings and reflections on the goodness and holiness of family life. One such reflection is found in the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. One of his published homilies is entitled: "Marriage: A Christian Vocation." His words, which are very appropriate during this Octave of Christmas, read, in part:

At Christmas our thoughts turn to the different events and circumstances surrounding the birth of the Son of God. As we contemplate the stable in Bethlehem or the home of the holy family in Nazareth, Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus occupy a special place in our hearts. What does the simple, admirable life of the holy family tell us? What can we learn from it?

I would like particularly to comment on one of the many considerations that we might make on this theme. As we read in holy Scripture, the birth of Jesus means the beginning of the fullness of time. It was the moment God chose to show the extent of his love for men, by giving us his own Son. And God's will is fulfilled in the simplest, most ordinary of circumstances: a woman who gives birth, a family, a home. The power of God and his splendour come to us through a human reality to which they are joined. Since that moment Christians have known that, with God's grace, they can and should sanctify everything that is good in their human lives. There is no human situation, no matter how trivial and ordinary it may seem, which cannot be a meeting-place with Christ and a step forward on our journey toward the kingdom of heaven.

It is only natural that the Church rejoices as it contemplates the modest home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We read in the hymn from matins on the feast of the Holy Family: 'It is pleasing to recall the lowly house at Nazareth and its slender resources, it is pleasing to tell again in song Jesus' hidden life. Jesus grows up in hidden seclusion, to be trained in Joseph's lowly trade. The loving Mother sits beside her dear Son, the good wife by her husband, content if her loving attention can ease and comfort them in their weariness.'

When I think of Christian homes, I like to imagine them as being full of the light and joy that were in the home of the holy family. The message of Christmas is heard in all its forcefulness: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.' 'And may the peace of Christ triumph in your hearts,' writes the Apostle. It is a peace that comes from knowing that our Father God loves us, and that we are made one with Christ. It results from being under the protection of the Virgin, our Lady, and assisted by St Joseph. This is the great light that illuminates our lives. In the midst of difficulties and of our own personal failings, it encourages us to keep up our effort. Every Christian home should be a place of peace and serenity. In spite of the small frustrations of daily life, an atmosphere of profound and sincere affection should reign there together with a deep-rooted calm, which is the result of authentic faith that is put into practice.

During these days of the Christmas season, most of us are blessed to be able to spend a little more time with our families. See this time for what it is: a blessing. Sometimes that can be a difficult task. But God asks us to look not for reasons to complain, but for reasons to praise and to number our blessings, not our difficulties.

Find those reasons. Count your blessings and praise and thank God for all of them - especially for your families. Remember always that the family is the oldest of human institutions and is God's most basic building-block for the building up of his Kingdom. Furthermore, as Bl. John Paul II taught, the family is a "school of love." Learn to love in your family. If necessary, love to learn your family.

Finally, I'll leave you today with a prayer for families by Bl. Theresa of Calcutta:

Heavenly Father,
you have given us the model of life
in the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Help us, O Loving Father,
to make our family another Nazareth
where love, peace and joy reign.
May it be deeply contemplative,
intensely eucharistic,
revived with joy.

Help us to stay together in joy
and sorrow in family prayer.
Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our families,
especially in their distressing disguise.
May the eucharistic heart of Jesus
make our hearts humble like his
and help us to carry out our family duties
in a holy way.
May we love one another
as God loves each one of us,
more and more each day,
and forgive each other's faults
as you forgive our sins.
Help us, O Loving Father,
to take whatever you give
and give whatever you take with a big smile.

Immaculate Heart of Mary,
cause of our joy, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

Holy Guardian Angels,
be always with us,
guide and protect us.

Amen.

A very merry Christmas

2011-12-25T19:08:00.000-06:00

To you and your families from Southern Fried Catholicism and the Catholic Campus Ministry at Ole Miss, we wish you a blessed and happy Christmas!

Now here's something incomprehensible to Catholics

2011-12-24T14:14:00.000-06:00

This is from the Wall Street Journal, yesterday. I always joke that Christmas is the only time each year that many Protestants even mention Mary. Looks like many will totally miss out on hearing Our Lady's name at all this year because Christmas falls on a Sunday. How inconvenient!

No Church This Sunday - It's Christmas
By DAVID GIBSONEvery few years Christmas is on a Sunday and suddenly believers face a dilemma: Stay home hanging stockings and opening gifts, or upend those cherished domestic traditions and go to Sunday church services. That is, if their church is even open.

Nearly 10% of Protestant churches will be closed on Christmas Sunday this year, according to LifeWay Research, and most pastors who are opening up say they expect far fewer people than on other Sundays. Other reports suggest that churches across the board are scaling down their services in anticipation of fewer worshipers.

"We have to face the reality of families who don't want to struggle to get kids dressed and come to church," Brad Jernberg of Dallas's Cliff Temple Baptist Church told the Associated Baptist Press. Similarly, Beth Car Baptist Church in Halifax, Va., is planning a short service featuring bluegrass riffs on Christmas music. "I'll do a brief sermon, and then we're going home," said Pastor Mike Parnell.

Even in denominations organized around the liturgical calendar and sacramental worship, like the Catholic, Episcopal and Orthodox churches, kid-friendly Christmas Eve services (actually held in the late afternoon) are proliferating—the "Jingle Bell Mass," one Catholic priest dubbed them—while "Midnight Mass" is often a term of art, ending rather than starting at the stroke of midnight.Enlarge Image Associated PressIn the centuries after the Reformation, some Protestants, notably the Puritans in England, sought to ban Christmas celebrations as pagan bacchanals, which they often were. In colonial America, Christmas was celebrated more widely but still as a church-based holiday, with more festive celebrations tending to follow after Dec. 25. Gift-giving was a minor part of the traditions.

By the early decades of the 19th century, however, Christmas began to change. A growing middle class reacted against the custom of poor people knocking at their doors requesting Christmas handouts, so they started shopping for special gifts that would be given as treats to children and loved ones. At the same time, popular stories by Washington Irving, Clement Clark Moore and Charles Dickens provided ready-made traditions—Santa Claus, stockings, flying reindeer, decorated evergreen trees—that would undergird the notion of Christmas as a holiday focused on home and gift-giving more than church.

Today, polls show Americans are much more inclined to put up a Christmas tree and decorations or go to a party than to attend religious services, even though they tend to see Christmas as a religious holiday.

Perhaps it's a bit puritanical to insist that believers dump their cherished family traditions to march off to church on Christmas morning. But it's also self-defeating to complain about keeping Christmas holy when churches close on Dec. 25.

When he preached at Christmas, Saint Augustine acknowledged the associations between the still-dominant pagan rites and Christianity's Feast of the Nativity. But the bishop of Hippo said that such associations should spur the faithful to deeper observance, not to downplaying the holiday altogether or tailoring it to the prevailing culture: "So, brothers and sisters, let us keep this day as a festival—not, like the unbelievers, because of the sun up there in the sky, but because of the One who made that sun."

Mr. Gibson is a national reporter for Religion News Service.

12 Days of Christmas as Comics

2011-12-24T10:41:00.001-06:00

12 Lords a Leaping. Get it?
More here.

For the more traditional take on the 12 Days (which are "codes" for the days between the Feast of the Nativity until Epiphany), check out this explanation:

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” celebrates the official Christmas season which starts liturgically on Christmas Day and ends twelve days later on the Feast of the Epiphany. “My true love” refers to God, “me” is the individual Catholic. The “twelve lords a leaping” are the twelve basic beliefs of the Catholic Church as outlined in the Apostles Creed. The “eleven pipers piping” are the eleven Apostles who remained faithful after the treachery of Judas. The “ten ladies dancing” are the Ten Commandments. The “nine drummers drumming” are the nine choirs of angels which in those days of class distinction were thought important. The “eight maids a milking” are the Eight Beatitudes. The “seven swans a swimming” are the Seven Sacraments. The “six geese a laying” are the Six Commandments of the Church or the six days of creation. The “five golden rings” are the first five books of the Old Testament called the Torah which are generally considered the most sacred and important of all the Old Testament. The “four calling birds” are the Four Gospels. The “three French hens” are the Three Persons in God or the three gifts of the Wise Men. The “two turtle doves” represent the two natures in Jesus: human and divine or the two Testaments, Old and New. The “partridge” is the piece de resistance, Jesus himself, and the “pear tree” is the Cross."

http://catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3465

But the idea of Darth Vader leaping? Still cool.

Vaclav Havel RIP

2011-12-24T10:13:00.002-06:00

Dagmar Havlova, the widow of Vaclev Havel, mourns in procession

Pope Benedict XVI sent a telegram of condolence to the President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, on the death this past Sunday of former president Vaclav Havel, whose funeral was celebrated this morning (Friday) in the Cathedral of St Vitus at Prague Castle. President Havel was 75 years old. In the text, the Pope expressed his nearness to those attending the funeral, joining them in "commending the soul of the deceased to the infinite mercy of our heavenly Father" and recalling Vaclav Havel's courage in the defence of "human rights at a time when these were systematically denied to the people of your country". He paid tribute to his "visionary leadership in forging a new democratic policy after the fall of the previous regime" and gave thanks to God "for the freedom that the people of the Czech Republic now enjoy". The Holy Father concluded by imparting the Apostolic Blessing as "a pledge of spiritual strength and comfort" to all those mourning the deceased, "in hope of resurrection to new life".
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=19553

Havel was an artist at heart but it would appear his muse was justice. He was a self-admitted non-practicing Catholic but had the respect of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Havel would even admit that he was compelled to go to confession when meeting John Paul II and did so: "I suddenly realized I was in fact confessing in front of him, even though I'm not accustomed to going to confession, since I'm not a practicing Catholic. I felt the need because of the great will to understand the other person that emanates from the person of the pope".

Looking for Direction? Spring Retreat is coming!

2011-12-23T13:20:00.001-06:00

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths." Psalm 25:4

The spring semester is just around the corner. Time to start thinking about the ever-popular Statewide Campus Ministry Spring Retreat!

This year's retreat will be the weekend of February 24-26, 2012 at Holmes County State Park in Durant. The theme for this year's retreat is discernment: "The Voice - Discerning God's Call." Always a popular weekend, we'll be on retreat with other Catholic students from Mississippi State, Delta State and other campus ministries throughout the state.

To guarantee your spot (and you know you want to go!), complete this sign-up sheet and turn it in by February 14, 2012. You can turn it in at the St. John's parish office. The cost is $40.00 for the weekend, which covers housing, food and a t-shirt. Checks should be made payable to St. John's Campus Ministry. Scholarships are available for those who need them.

El Caganer: A Lovely Spanish Creche Tradition

2011-12-23T09:39:00.001-06:00

You gotta love off-the-wall holiday traditions. The Swedes have their day-long Donald Duck TV show marathon on Christmas Eve (no, seriously) and the Germans and Austrians have the Krampus. But one of the most unique just has to be el caganer of the traditional Spanish nativity scene.

"Merry Christmas! Sh*tter was full!"

What is the caganer you might ask? Well, quite literally, it is a person... ummm... (how can I put this delicately? - Oh good, my nine-year-old son looking over my shoulder as I type this helped me out: "Just put it's a guy taking a poo.").

Fine then. It is a guy taking a poo. There ya go.

Yep, really. Merry Christmas, huh?

No Spanish creche is considered complete without the caganer. They say it first appeared in the Catalan region of Spain in the 17th century. There, the creche traditionally depicts a miniature of many buildings in Bethlehem (not just the stable/cave). There are also many villagers depicted going about their day-to-day activities (washings clothes in a stream, selling goods in a market, etc.) And somewhere, tucked away in the bustle, usually hidden discreetly, is the caganer, pants down and doing his business.

I know many of us would find it a bit distasteful, but it's a long-standing tradition in Spain and even in some areas of Portugal and Naples. It's traditional for children to try and find the caganer. The classic caganer is dressed in traditional Catalan folk attire, complete with a red barretina, but in some families, they've moved to having the caganer based on a modern celebrity (If you wonder what I'm talking about, just google "Barack Obama caganer.")

So, as you trudge through these last couple of days of holiday madness, just remember that it could be worse: you could be el caganer, bottom bared for the world to see, performing the one bodily function that could even despoil the serenity of the birth of our Savior. Maybe the lesson to take from this post is that you want to make the holidays as easy as you can for your family: don't complain, don't moan or whine - just be pleasant and helpful. Because, all in all, no one wants to be the caganer in the creche.

364 Days Left Until End of World!

2011-12-22T07:45:00.006-06:00

December 21, 2012: Mayans predict a lizard will vomit on us.

I totally missed that yesterday was also supposedly the beginning of the last year...ever! For a couple of years, there has been a lot of talk and hand-wringing about the date of December 21, 2012. This date is reportedly the predicted date of the end of all things. It has been foretold by the Mayans, and some say the Aztecs and even Nostradamus has predicted the same date.

The Mayans also predicted that sacrificing virgins would appease the gods and that eating the hearts of your enemies will give you advantages in future wars. Nostradamus, thanks to bad spelling and prosaic writing, has either been totally right on, lucky or off base in his predictions.

Meltzer will scare you. He also kills superpeople.

One of the nail biting shows I watch from time to time, in case I don't have enough paranoia in my diet, is Brad Metlzer's Decoded on the History Channel. Last night they aired the second investigation on December 21, 2012. The carefully chosen experts they gathered to interview concerning the ticking time bomb that is civilization spooked me. But I think some of them are spooky anyway. There was this Floridian scientist predicting the flooding of the country in like two days. There was a survival guy who nonchalantly talked about dehydrated zombie-like animal minded people. He skeeved me. Not just because of his theories but that this guy is out there. Thinking this up.

Here's a link to the episode. The cool thing is the last word Meltzer has to say. The Church, by the way, doesn't have any stake in the end of the world predictions. I figure some of the more evangelical of us will use the opportunity to make some waves (bucks) but mainstream Catholicism believes that we cannot know the day nor the hour. We also believe that hope is a virtue that laughs in the face of destiny. So despite the dire predictions, the coincidental crises in the world and the possibility your neighbor will kill you for your food, don't give in to despair. HOPE!

Sure is raining hard today....haha. HOPING!

Ok, now Beiber has finally made parents mad...

2011-12-22T05:00:00.001-06:00

Nevermind the quasi-squicky love affair with Selena Gomez when he was a minor and she a legal adult. Nevermind the haircut that every boy had to have to get a girl's attention, preferably an age appropriate girl. Nevermind even the pregnancy accusation.

Justin Beiber...doesn't...believe...in...Santa. Never did. He's done it now.

My mom always told me there wasn't a Santa," Bieber says in a new interview with AOL Music. "This was her logic: She thought if I grew up knowing about Santa then finding out he wasn't real, that it would be like she was lying to me. And then when she told me about God, I maybe wouldn't believe her."
Applauding his mom, Pattie Mallette, and her decision to be "straight-up and honest with me all the time," Bieber insists he kept the holiday spirit alive for his childhood pals. "I didn't tell my friends or ruin it for anyone -- I was a good kid!" he tells AOL.

Unbelieberbeiber

Hrmph...My mom told me there was a Santa and I went along with it. Now I don't believe in Santa. The story goes that if you're good, Santa will give you some swag. If you're bad, you get nothing. Well, when I was a kid, the bad kids got racing cars, dirt bikes, bb guns and dogs from Santa. I got cool stuff too but never a motorcycle. Santa gives bad kids great stuff.
So I don't believe a word of it.
God, on the other hand, gives us what we ask for.
Maybe I shouldn't be so comfortable with that....

Hobbit Trailer ONLINE NOW!

2011-12-21T09:21:00.000-06:00

Get in line now. Only 365 days away.

Solstice, man

2011-12-21T04:20:00.003-06:00

Winter Solstice at Stonehenge. Wow, that's funny cuz it's "STONE" henge.

Some of the hairy, dred-headed, white kids who work at the bakery or are working on their degree in advanced harmonics may wish you a "Happy Solstice" today. It's not "Merry Christmas" but close. Take this very long article from ask.com for example:
The time around December 21 or 22 is a very important day for our planet and its relationship with the sun. December 21 is one of two solstices, days when the rays of the sun directly strike one of the two tropical latitude lines. In 2011 at precisely 12:30 a.m. EST (05:30 UTC) on December 22, 2011 winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere and summer begins in the Southern Hemisphere.
The earth spins around its axis, an imaginary line going right through the planet between the north and south poles. The axis is tilted somewhat off the plane of the earth's revolution around the sun. The tilt of the axis is 23.5 degrees; thanks to this tilt, we enjoy the four seasons. For several months of the year, one half of the earth receives more direct rays of the sun than the other half.
The earth's axis always points to the same point in the universe. When the axis points away from the sun from December to March (because of the relative location of the earth to the sun), the southern hemisphere enjoys the direct rays of the sun during their summer months. Alternatively, when the axis tilts towards the sun, as it does between June and September, it is summer in the northern hemisphere but winter in the southern hemisphere.
December 21 is called the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and simultaneously the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. On June 21 the solstices are reversed and summer begins in the northern hemisphere.
http://geography.about.com/cs/calendarsseason/a/winter.htm

Most liturgical texts will tell you that the two solstices are the basis of the dates set for Christmas and the Birth of St. John the Baptist.
For Christmas, this may be coincidental with the "birth of the unconquerable sun" (natalis invicti), a feast commemorating the birth of Apollo the Sun God who will overcome the darkness with his birth. The shortest day of the year, the darkest day, will be overtaken by the sun. The connection to the "Son" of God is obvious. Pope Benedict has written that the date of Christmas, December 25th, is due to the Annunciation being set at March 25th thus not falling on the date of solstice.

Sol Invictus/Apollo rising

For St. John the Baptist's birth (June 21), the feast falls on the Summer Solstice or the longest "day" of the year, harkening to John's saying: "He must increase while I must decrease" (John 3:30) speaking of Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom and the end of the darkness.

Ineffable: It finally happened

2011-12-20T10:09:00.001-06:00

From back in 2008:
(Erie Bishop Donald) Trautman said the draft (of the Roman Missal) includes words such as "ineffable" that would not be in the ordinary vocabulary of people.
"This should be the prayer of the people," Trautman said. "I'm not for having street language. ... We should certainly have elevated tone, but words like that are just beyond the common comprehension."
Catholics coming out of a lunchtime Mass at Erie's St. Peter Cathedral weren't familiar with "ineffable."

Welp, today I finally got to use the word that lunchtime Massgoers in Erie, PA cannot understand. The collect reads:

O God, eternal majesty, whose ineffable Word
the immaculate Virgin received through
the message of an Angel
and so became the dwelling-place of divinity,
filled with the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant, we pray, by her example
we may in humility hold fast to your will.
Through Our Lord Jesus Christ....

No complaints. No worries. No confusion. The early Massgoers in Oxford, MS listened to the collect probably about as closely as they have in the past.

"Beyond common comprehension"? Ineffa-believable!

Saints of the States

2011-12-20T07:17:00.000-06:00

Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha

A 17th-century Native American woman who cared for the sick and elderly, and a Catholic nun who worked with lepers in Hawaii, are on the verge of becoming the newest American saints, after Pope Benedict XVI certified miracles due to their intercession, the Vatican announced Monday (Dec 19).

Here's an inspiring tale concerning Blessed Kateri's latest miracle:

Kateri's supporters submitted evidence of miracles but believed Kateri's chances of sainthood died with Pope John Paul, who bestowed sainthood on more people than all other popes combined.

Jake Finkbonner with his mother in front of a statue of Bl. Kateri

Then, in 2006, a 6-year-old boy cut his lip during a basketball game in Washington state.
Overnight, Jake Finkbonner's face swelled up and he developed a high fever, according to an NPR report. Doctors at Seattle Children's Hospital said a flesh-eating bacterium called Strep A was attacking the boy's face. Over the next few weeks, it destroyed his lips, cheeks and forehead. Doctors told the family the boy was going to die.
The family's priest asked his congregation to pray to Kateri on Jake's behalf. The priest chose Kateri because of her facial scars and Indian heritage – Jake is half Lummi Indian.
The prayers started coming in from around the world, and a representative from the Society of the Blessed Kateri went to the hospital to place a pendant of Kateri on the boy's pillow. The next day, the infection stopped progressing and Jake recovered.
Investigators from the Vatican researched the incident for three years, and on Monday, Pope Benedict approved it as a miracle attributed to Kateri's intervention.

The Liturgy as P.F. Chang's

2011-12-20T06:00:00.004-06:00

The Hispanic Mass. The multicultural liturgy for Pentecost. The diversity of song and dance for the contemporary Mass. Catholics in America have become used to "festive" liturgies and other ways that highlight the global family we are.

Danza! Danza! Danza!

When I was in seminary, it seemed that monthly we'd have a cultural Mass with afterwards, no kidding, a dinner highlighting the central culture's food..Among the kultur-Masses was an African Mass (which is a continent, by the way), a German Mass, a Chinese Mass, and a very ill-advised African-American Mass which had our rector intoning the Mass parts in a vaudeville baritone.

Hip young priest celebrates Mass in Kinte Cloth reflecting his heritage...emm...broadmindedness.

I'm not a fan of multicultural. It's silly. But I usually don't say much about the silliness because it's sort of the thing to do and I may come off as sort of a xenophobe. Which I may be. But the silly?

I'm more confident in the silliness now after reading this article Sunday.

Professor Haley's book

This USM professor, Andrew Haley, provokes the reader to think of how all this multicultural food appeared and what does it say about our tastes (pun intended) as a culture? Well, it says we're middle class! Which is not a bad thing to be culturally. But awful as THE BRIDE OF CHRIST! The Church should not be reflective of any social "taste" or "trend" nor should she be "middle" anything. But I am afraid we have become very middle (and slipping).

The love of all things diverse is obvious. Just look at the excitement "anglos" have over the Guadalupe Fiestas of last week. That's not about our faith. It's about being entertained culturally. Or feeling very cosmopolitan but not having to travel. Haley says this in the article that has some good value to the way we think of our Liturgies and Mass:

"I would argue that in the 19th century American culture is shaped by upper class elite taste, whereas in the 20th century the middle class has come to define how we eat, the music we listen to, the way we dress," Haley said.It's also changed the food landscape of places like our very own Hattiesburg. Ever wonder why you have your pick of Thai, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Chinese and Italian restaurants in the heart of a Southern city?"

Haley goes on to say that the restaurants don't exist for the cultures that produced the food but for the middle class, largely white people, who desire the exotic tastes. Sound familiar?

The book is called "Turning the Tables". Interesting title in context. Maybe our tables need to be turned..back and our culture as Catholics be put in the class we deserve.

SARCO RE

2011-12-19T14:07:00.001-06:00

So, just revisiting the "ERO CRAS" article (below), I got to thinking, "What if the code was supposed to be read as it is sung instead of working backward?" Donning my Tom Hanks Mini-mullet and doing some DaVinci coding, the words appear "SARCO RE". Since I have a seminary education from the 90's, I know no Latin or Greek (but have learned gathering hymns in Hawaiian and Vietnamese!) so with that unknowledge at hand, the mystic term appears "FLESH AGAIN" by using bad Greek scholarship.

SARCO RE, SUCKAS!!!

Which, if we believe Christ is coming again, presumably in the flesh, then that works out.

CARNIVAL! It's not racist if it's in South America.

Also, since the Christmastide ends with the celebration of CARNIVAL ("farewell to the flesh" in loosely based Latin that I did not study) then it works there too.

But wouldn't it be cool if it also meant this?

ZOMBIE SANTA! SARCO RE! BRAINZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

(Probably none of this page would be here had seminaries listened to canon 249.)

Merry Nonspecific Occasion Where We Give Gifts for Unspoken Reasons.

2011-12-19T09:35:00.003-06:00

I am a conscientious objector to the WAR ON THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS. To sum up my non-enthusiasm to be mad about people not using the proper greetings at the Shell station, I give you these non-joyful cards from someeecards.com.

Ero Cras

2011-12-18T10:15:00.000-06:00

Graphic from Bethany Twins Blog

Before there was "LOL" and "OMG" and "BRB" there were anagrams and acrostics that had deep meaning (not to say that a well placed "LMAO" in a text isn't meaningful) in liturgical and theological circles.

The "O Antiphons" also possibly share in this conspiracy of symbols and signs. A few publications have written about the hidden message in the traditional chant. Take this article for example:

What a great treasure the liturgical tradition of the Roman Rite has left us in the O Antiphons of the Advent season. These are the very antiphons, still used in the current Liturgy of the Hours, which surround the Magnificat at Evening Prayer (Vespers) from December 17 - 23. They are seven titles for Christ, the Messiah, drawn from Hebrew Scripture, representing a "mosaic" of the Old Testament.

O Sapientia [Wisdom]
O Adonai [Lord]
O Radix Jesse [Root of Jesse]
O Clavis David [Key of David]
O Oriens [Dayspring]
O Rex gentium [King of the Nations]
O Emmanuel [God-with-Us]

C.J. McNaspy in the Paulist publication, New Catholic World, tells us:

Their themes are broadly messianic, stressing the brightness of hope. Jesus is invoked under a series of titles, drawn largely from Isaiah, but in a sequence that must be intentional. They move historically from the beginning, before creation, to the very gates of Bethlehem. It seems more than coincidental, too, that the titles given to Jesus make an acrostic in Latin, which when read backwards means: "I will be tomorrow" ("Ero Cras") -- an obvious (at least to the medieval mind) allusion to Christmas eve.

Pretty cool.

O: The Antiphon

2011-12-17T06:30:00.002-06:00

Beginning today (December 17), the Church counts down the week toward the celebration of Our Savior's birth. Each day has a special acclamation attached to it that tells of the many roles Christ fulfilled in His coming. We call them the "O Antiphons" and you probably most likely have heard them all in one shot in the popular Christmas carol "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". Here's a sweet version of the song:

I was impressed with Youtube while digging up the "O"'s. Seems that some people have made just one antiphon per day so you can listen each day for a different antiphon. These antiphons, by the way, are also the Introits before the daily Mass (although not in the order in the chant) so you can double check on our (or youtube's) liturgical correctness!

A Calvin and Hobbes Christmas

2011-12-16T08:40:00.001-06:00

Calvin and Hobbes is sorely missed. Many of our target readership may not even remember the adventures of a boy and his (maybe) imaginary tiger but thanks to the internet, the spirit still lives on. Above is one of the great tropes of the strip: Calvin's macabre display of snowmen in very inappropriate positions and situations. This made any Southern boy jealous for snow. Who wouldn't want to make a snow murder scene? Huh? WHO???

Ahem..

This is one of the best tributes of the snowmen I've seen and apt for the season:

Fungus Among Us

2011-12-16T08:23:00.000-06:00

Ew. Looks likes something you'd see in a restroom off 55-S

" A communion wafer that fell to the floor at a South St. Paul church and turned blood red is not a miracle. Twin Cities archdiocese officials said Wednesday that the discoloration was instead caused by a fungus.

While the Catholic Church fully recognizes the possibility of miracles and remains open to their possibility, it does so with extreme scrutiny, investigation and care. This incident was the result of natural biological causes and should not be considered in any other way."http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/135632408.html

In seminary, a professor of Biblical studies told us to be cautious against Eucharistic miracles. He said that even though they may be compelling, he didn't see them as his Risen Lord. The Church herself warns the faithful to not make miracles a reason for believing. Jesus even said, "Blest are those who have not seen yet believe (Jn 20:29)."

Yikes.

My life has been virtually miracle free. Well, as far as seeing anything miracle-y. I consider that to be a favor from God and not some kind of diss. At Our Lady of Lourdes, the nuns would tell the most gory tales of Eucharistic miracles and, personally, it creeped me out. I prayed God not send any apparitions, bleeding statues, hosts or walls or have anything burning yelling at me. I'll just pray, listen and obey. He, at least, held up his end of the bargain.

Happy Christmas (War is Over)

2011-12-15T15:39:00.001-06:00

Rarely do I go full out all hippy-dippy but I am very thrilled that the US Troops are coming home from Iraq. It's been too long and there's plenty of living to do over here.

This NY Times photo shows a soldier packing up in Iraq

So, Happy Christmas, vets. War is Over. Welcome Home. Here's a hit of John Lennon:

A journey from Judaism to the Convent

2011-12-15T09:24:00.001-06:00

Rosalind Moss takes final vows as a Benedictine nun in
front of Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The conversion story of Rosalind Moss is hardly the first of its kind. She was born a Jew and, as an adult, embraced the fullness of the Catholic faith, recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. Her journey of faith eventually led her into the Benedictine Order. Believe it or not, many others have had a similar journey of faith: from Judaism to Catholicism - and even to the religious life. Most famous of them is undoubtedly St. Benedicta of the Cross, better known by her birth name: Edith Stein.

But just because the story is not a new one, it does not make it any less fascinating. Rosalind - now known by her religious name, Mother Miriam - was recently installed as the prioress of a new community of Benedictine sisters in Oklahoma, known as the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel's Hope.

National Catholic Register's recent interview with Mother Miriam is below. You can read it on their site here.

Mother Miriam
When a young Jewish woman in the 1960s read of Catholic nuns receiving permission to shorten their habits, she was shocked. How could these women who were supposed to be influencing the world for God succumb to the influence of the world?

“I lost what wasn’t mine,” explained Rosalind Moss years later. Little did she know that she would eventually gain what was not previously hers by becoming a religious sister in full habit.

On Sept. 8 of this year, Moss became Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God, O.S.B. She is the prioress of a new religious community, Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope, which is based in Tulsa, Okla.

Mother Miriam spoke with Register correspondent Trent Beattie about her conversion, religious calling, and desire to meet the greatest need of humanity.

So, how did a Jewish girl from Brooklyn end up in a convent in Tulsa?In short, I grew up in a conservative Jewish home in Brooklyn, where we waited for the Messiah. Every year at Passover, we would announce that the Messiah had not yet come. If he had come, there would have been peace in the world, his kingdom would have been established, we would be living in Jerusalem, and life would have made sense.

None of these things had happened, I thought, so it would be insanity to think that the Messiah actually had come. I wasn’t aware of any Jew who thought as much. I was 32 years old the first time I heard that there were actually Jews who believed the Messiah had come.
I met a group of Messianic Jews who taught me that all the sacrificial lambs in the Old Testament, while not able to remove sin, were types of the one Lamb of God to come, who indeed was able to remove sin. After going through the Old Testament, I was shown only one verse from the New Testament — and that one verse shattered my world. It was John 1:29, in which John the Baptist announces Jesus Christ in these words: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” I knew then that Jesus was the Messiah I had been looking for.

I entered the only form of Christianity I knew at the time, which was evangelical and anti-Catholic. For the next 18 years, I tried to “save” Catholics from what I thought was a false religious, even satanic, system. It was through a series of events in the summer of 1990 that I began a search into the claims of the Catholic Church, which culminated in my entering the Church at the Easter vigil in 1995.

As a Protestant, I had come to believe the fact that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — the God whom no one could look on and live — entered time and history and became man.
Upon my entrance into the Catholic Church I was able to appreciate a second incredible condescension of almighty God — that of the Blessed Sacrament, or the Passover fulfilled. God become man remains with us to this day under the appearance of bread.

Once you had entered the Church, when did you first think of becoming a religious sister?Actually, my calling, unknown to me at the time, started many years before becoming Catholic. I was 20 years old when I read a story in the newspaper about nuns receiving permission to shorten their habits. It was at the beginning of the mini-skirt era of the 1960s. I believed that these religious women were in the world to affect the world for God, but, alas, I thought at the time, the world had affected them.

Something physical ripped through me. What I assumed had nothing to do with me became my deep and immediate loss. I had lost something that wasn’t mine. Or so I thought. I did not imagine that years later I would find myself fully given to restoring those hemlines and longing to fill the world with religious in habits as the glorious sign to God that they are.

This dedication of yours officially began this year on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when your community was established as a public association of the faithful and you received the habit. Can you describe that day?If there were a more glorious day in my life, I can’t think of when it was.

I have always felt that I was made for another world and that I was a pilgrim in this one. Giving my life to God through Christ from my Jewish background changed my life forever. Coming further into the fullness of Christianity 18 years later in the Catholic Church deepened my relationship with God more than I knew was possible.

Still, even after these life-changing events, there remained a longing in my heart for something yet beyond this world.

On Sept. 8, in the small Monastery of the Cenacle of Our Lady in Tulsa, heaven seemed to flood my heart as Bishop [Edward] Slattery received my vows and as, through that beautiful and holy shepherd of Tulsa, I gave myself to the Bridegroom of my soul.

Bishop Slattery led the ceremony, with the assistance of Father Mark Daniel Kirby, O.S.B. About 15 people were in attendance, including priests, religious brothers and sisters. The Nativity of Our Lord was brought to mind, which, like our setting in the small oratory, was a private event, with even less than 15 people in attendance. Yet the seemingly humble, private and hidden birth of our Lord resulted in the world’s savation. Our prayer is that that same Lord in the manger would be pleased to grow the seed of our humble, private beginning into a means of salvation and hope for many souls.

What influence did St. Francis de Sales have on your entrance into religious life?My brother David, who converted to Catholicism 16 years before I did, had a small library of Catholic books. When I became Catholic, I “stole” some of his books. One of them was Introduction to the Devout Life, written by the great bishop of Geneva. At the time, I thought to myself, What need do I have for a book like this? I’ve been a Christian for 19 years. Why read a book for beginners?

Well, I did read it — and could not put it down. I went on to read nine more books by St. Francis de Sales, who helped to bring 72,000 Calvinists back into the Catholic Church through his writings, which reveal a deep understanding of humanity and the answers to all of society’s ills.

I asked Our Lady to give me this great saint as my spiritual director from heaven. Five days later I was given The Spiritual Combat by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli. I read on the back cover that this was the book St. Francis de Sales gave to all of his spiritual directees. Our Lady had answered my prayer. I was ecstatic.

This spiritual master led me to another spiritual master, whose rule we’ve adopted. St. Francis de Sales led me to St. Benedict, the “Father of Western Monasticism,” and it is the Benedictine Rule which the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope will follow.

In addition to these two saints as co-patrons of the community, you also have a patroness in Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Yes, Our Lady of Guadalupe seemed to move in with us, and we are most grateful. I didn’t choose Our Lady of Guadalupe specifically as our patroness, but it seems that she chose us. We are grateful for her presence, especially in our parish in Tulsa, which has a large Hispanic population.

I delight in telling people that Our Lady of Guadalupe is Jewish. There is only one Mother of the Messiah, who appears all over the world “in different outfits.” She is indeed a mother to us and to all who will call upon her.

What is the specific charism of your community?We’re a contemplative-active teaching and evangelistic community. A religious community must be rooted in prayer, and we are as well. Our active apostolate, however, has two main goals: The first is to walk the streets in habits, reaching out to all we meet with the love of God and the truths of his glorious Church. The second goal is to help restore the stewardship of the home by helping parents to know and live their faith and impart it to their children.

We could write an entire book about the adventures we’ve had carrying out the first part of our charism in the short time we’ve been in Tulsa. A favorite incident occurred in conversation with a 6-year-old girl about God and Jesus. The little girl paused a minute and then asked me if I were Jesus’ mommy and if I lived “up there” (in heaven) with Jesus. So precious. There are so many wonderful stories. Many people — Catholics and non-Catholics alike — ask us for prayer. Several have tears in their eyes, telling us how happy they are to see nuns in habits again.

What thrills me most, apart from being signs to God in the world and the freedom people have in approaching us, is the sense they have that they “own” us, so to speak. That is, they believe that they have free access to us, that we exist for them, that they have a right to expect us to pray for them, to help them, to be God’s arms to them in their need. It is a beautiful expectation on their part, and, to my mind, that is as it should be.

We also wish to help restore the stewardship of the home by teaching parents and helping them to teach the faith to their children. The family is the primary vehicle God has designed to build his Kingdom. If we have any doubt about that, the enemy does not. All one has to do is look around at the destruction of the family to know that marriage and the family are the enemy’s targets.

You’ve mentioned wanting to learn Gregorian chant because of its connection to “Old Covenant” worship. Could you explain that?I’ve said many times that the most Jewish thing a Jew can do is to become Catholic. This is true not just in a general sense, but in a most detailed sense as well. There is nothing Catholic that is not rooted in the Old Testament. Our Catholic faith did not spring up out of nowhere, but out of the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

This is true liturgically speaking, as we have a tabernacle, altar and priesthood in the New Covenant, similar to the Old Covenant. We also have Gregorian chant, which is rooted in Old Covenant worship. The Psalms were not merely read, but chanted in public worship of God, which Jesus himself participated in as a child.

This chant was more fully developed in the Catholic Church and became what we now refer to as Gregorian chant. I’ve listened to many types of chant, but none quite as beautiful as Gregorian.

Pope Benedict XVI has encouraged the faithful to reacquaint themselves with this chant and use it liturgically; we want to follow our Supreme Pontiff’s lead.

You also value the Mass being offered ad orientem. Why is this?The No. 1 thing that attracted me to the Diocese of Tulsa was Bishop Edward Slattery’s decision to offer the Novus Ordo Mass ad orientem, that is, facing east, liturgically speaking. It is the posture of the shepherd leading the people to Christ and has been the case for centuries.

You, in turn, aspire to bring Christ to the world, right?I’ve been blessed with the glorious gift of the Catholic faith, and I have no other reason to exist but to tell the world of Christ and his Church. The world is hungry for God, and we desire more than anything else to bring God to the world through the joyful presence of habited sisters who love God and who live to reach out to every soul — rich and poor, young and old — with “the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Register correspondent Trent Beattie writes from Seattle.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/rosalind-moss-unexpected-journey#ixzz1gcFFvcZC

NO CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!!!

2011-12-14T10:33:00.004-06:00

It was sort of a non-issue growing up. When my mom was ready, she'd go up in the attic and we'd pull out the Christmas decorations; tree ornaments, garlands, plastic elves (my favorite!), felt reindeer, and so on and put them up. Just did it. Maybe a week or two before Christmas. We'd get our tree from the high school's Christmas tree sale where old Mr. Radigan would take our money and offer us coffee. That was about 2 weeks before Christmas. All was calm, all was bright.

Then it seemed that priests and sisters and lay minsters began to say with the DOGMATIC AUTHORITY OF STUFF THAT THEY HEARD IN A WORKSHOP: "NO CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS BEFORE CHRISTMAS!" The offense they'd take when they'd see a creche or a reindeer in a church office would throw them into a liturgical rant unlike (seriously) any they have at any other time of year! Even some priests said, "NO CHRISTMAS PARTIES! WE CALL THEM 'ADVENT PARTIES'". When you take the "Christmas" out of "Christmas" party, even though it's all the same thing, it still sucks a little bit more.

So anyway, I saw this picture today of the Pope. Today. The Pope.

Pope Benedict XVI leads his general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 14. The hall's Nativity scene was handcrafted in Mexico. The Christmas tree is from Ukraine. (CNS/Paul Haring)

So, there.

The Dark Night Returns

2011-12-14T09:30:00.001-06:00

St. John of the Cross

Today is the Feast of St. John of the Cross (Juan de la Cruz). His works are some of the most introspective and painstakingly honest works in all of Western Christianity. His most notable work is "The Dark Night of the Soul". It is both poem and spiritual instruction.

"Into this dark night souls begin to enter when God draws them forth from the state of beginners—which is the state of those that meditate on the spiritual road—and begins to set them in the state of progressives—which is that of those who are already contemplatives—to the end that, after passing through it, they may arrive at the state of the perfect, which is that of the Divine union of the soul with God. Wherefore, to the end that we may the better understand and explain what night is this through which the soul passes, and for what cause God sets it therein..."
(Chapter 1 of "The Dark Night of the Soul")

Pie-ty

2011-12-13T10:42:00.003-06:00

Some Catholic feast days have food associated with it. Sometimes the food goes a tad overboard on the symbolism. Behold! St. Lucy pastries! The only dessert you can have a staring contest with!

St. Lucy Pie makes me want to say "OMM NOM NOM NOM NOM!"


It's like someone let Grant Morrison in the kitchen!

More traditionally are the "Lucy Cats" which are made in Sweden. They are, as the internet and some liturgical Advent materials say, delivered by young girls with candles in their hair on this day. The cakes, visibly (haha! pun!), are made in the image of eyeballs.


Lucy cats (as opposed to LOL CATZ)

You think this is bad? Wait til you see what people do for St. Agatha's Day!

St. Lucy's Day: The eyes have it!

2011-12-13T08:45:00.001-06:00

St. Lucy (aka St. Lucia) is celebrated today on the Church's calendar. Remembered as a virgin martyr from Syracuse on the Italian island of Sicily, Lucy is another one of the seven female saints mentioned by name in the ancient Roman Canon (i.e. Eucharistic Prayer I) during the Mass.

Her name is derived from the Latin word lux, or light. She was martyred for her Christian faith around A.D. 310. According to tradition, her persecutors plucked her eyes out as a torture after she refused to renounce her faith in Christ. Therefore she is often depicted in artwork holding her own eyes on a plate, offering them to God (see the picture above).

Maybe it's just a guy thing, but that makes her statue one of my favorites. I mean, she's holding her own eyes! It should come as no surprise that Lucy is the patron saint of the blind.

Traditional St. Lucy Day procession.

In past centuries, Catholics in northern Europe (namely Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden) associated St. Lucy's Day with being the shortest day of the year. Since her name has connotations of "light," long-standing traditions in this region still preserve a relative "festival of lights" on this day, where a young girl representing St. Lucy marches in a candlelit procession, her head crowned with a wreath of candles. A bit dangerous? Perhaps. But still really cool.

If nothing else, you have to categorize this day as being one full of cool Catholic traditions. Saint statues holding their own eyes, young girls wearing crowns of blazing candles, and all of it piquing our intrigue and calling us to stronger devotion to Christ. It doesn't get much cooler or much more Catholic than that.

"Am I not here, who is your mother?"

2011-12-12T11:05:00.002-06:00

On November 8, 1519 - only two years after the start of the Protestant Reformation in Western Europe - a Spanish conquistador named Hernando Cortes, led his army into the sprawling city of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire in modern-day Mexico. This was the symbolic start of the conquest of Meso-America by the Spanish.

The Spanish conquistadors were seeking fame and fortune. They were accompanied, however, by Catholic missionaries who were seeking to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the indigeonous peoples of Meso-America. For more than a decade, the labor of the Catholic missionaries among the indigenous people was undertaken with few results. The vast majority of Meso-American Indians clung to the gods and customs of their old religion, spurning the efforts of the Catholic missionaries.

That all changed in 1531.

In that year on December 9 (the day on which the Immaculate Conception was celebrated within the Spanish Empire at that time), according to tradition, an indigenous peasant who had accepted Christianity had a miraculous vision of a beautiful young woman. The man's Christian name was Juan Diego and the vision took place on a hill called Tepeyac, in the desert just outside of Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City).

The lady who appeared to Juan Diego was dark-skinned and spoke in the native tongue of the local Indians and she asked Juan Diego to build a church on the spot where he was standing. She identified herself as "Mary, the ever Virgin Mother of the true God." Over the next few days, she appeared four times to Juan Diego, persisting to ask that the bishop build a church on top of the hill. Juan Diego was to be her messenger to the bishop, but the bishop refused to listen to him unless he was given some sign from heaven. Finally, on December 12th, Mary granted them a sign by causing roses to appear at the sight, which she instructed Juan Diego to gather in his tilma, and take to the bishop. The tilma that Juan Diego wore was a traditional outer garment worn by Meso-American men at the time. It was rough-hewn, made of agave (cactus) fibers, and it served as both a cloak and as an apron, useful for carrying items.

At Mary's insistence, Juan Diego gathered the roses from on top of the hill and took them to the bishop's palace in the city, thinking that the roses (miraculously blooming in December) were the sign the bishop would need to heed her requests for a church to be built. Upon reaching the chambers of the bishop and unfurling his tilma, however, the bishop responded not to the roses, but to the tilma itself which had miraculously come to bear a colorful image of Our Lady - an image of Mary that we now know as "Our Lady of Guadalupe."

The rest, as they say, is history. A small chapel was built on top of the hill to house the miraculous image of Our Lady on Juan Diego's tilma and, with almost immediate effect, the indigenous peoples who had spurned the missionaries for more than a decade began to accept the Gospel of Christ. Within a few short years, there was a flood of indigenous Christian converts entering the Church. It was truly miraculous.

At the time of the apparition, there was no Mexico. Much later (in the early 19th century), Our Lady of Guadalupe was adopted by those who initiated calls for Mexican independence from Spanish rule. But the importance of Our Lady of Guadalupe reaches far beyond any particular culture or group of people. She appeared to Juan Diego more than three centuries before her appearance to Bernadette in Lourdes, France and long before her appearance to the three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. Her appearance to Juan Diego was a clarion call which firmly established the Catholic faith in the Americas, so she belongs to all Americans - from Greenland to Chile. She is rightly called the Patroness of the Americas. In fact, in 1946, Pope Pius XII gave her this exact title.

She is also the Patroness of the Unborn. In the image, Our Lady appears with a black sash tied around her waist - a traditional sign of being with child in pre-hispanic, Meso-American culture. In other words, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the earliest-known depictions of Mary pregnant with her Divine Son. This is why Our Lady of Guadalupe has become an important symbol of the Pro-life movement.

So, today, celebrate the miraculous appearance of Our Lady here in the Americas. Throughout the centuries, she calls to all of us in the Americas to turn towards her Son and to live the Gospel. As she told St. Juan Diego so many years ago, she still gives us her "...love, compassion, help, and protection, because [she is] the merciful mother ... to all the inhabitants of this land."

Yverybody Ymber!

2011-12-11T10:30:00.001-06:00

The 1962 Roman Missal* says this about "ember days":
At the beginning of the four seasons of the Ecclesiastical Year, the Ember Days have been instituted by the Church to thank God for blessings obtained during the past year and to implore further graces for the new season. Their importance in the Church was formerly very great. They are fixed on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: after the First Sunday of Lent for Spring, after Whitsunday for Summer, after the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross (14th September) for Autumn, and after the Third Sunday of Advent for Winter. They are intended also to consecrate to God the various seasons in nature, and to prepare by penance those who are about to be ordained. Ordinations generally take place on the Ember Days. The faithful ought to pray on these days for good priests. The Ember Days were once fast days of obligation.

The three days are special to Christians: Wednesdays commemorate the day Jesus was betrayed, Fridays are remembered as the day of his Crucifixion and Death and Saturdays are to remind us of his being in the tomb. Each, as you can see, has a somber meaning. As the definition above says, there are two reasons for Ember Days:

"Oh thank goodness Jesus is here. We were waiting for that chalice!"

1. Consecrate to God the various seasons in nature: The word "ember" comes from the Middle English "ymber" which means "circuit". The sun's circuit around the earth brings about changes in nature ("seasons"). The ember days are placed close to the changing of the seasons. Like this week, we have the Ember Days for winter and winter begins next week. Soooo close!

2. Prepare by penance those who are about to be ordained: Not much of this is practiced anymore. When I was ordained I don't remember much of a penitential time unless helping my dad pave a walkway so the guests could make it the post-ordination party on the patio is a penance.

However, there is something that is still very much needed: THE FAITHFUL OUGHT TO PRAY ON THESE DAYS FOR GOOD PRIESTS. We need not only those who can do the mechanics of ministry but good PASTORS.

So, maybe as an Ember Week penance, pull out the rosary or take a few moments of your day to pray.
1. Pray for our Seminarians.
2. Pray for our Directors of Seminarians and Vocations: Frs. Anthony Qyuet, Matthew Simmons and Lenin Vargas
3. Pray for our bishop to encourage men to serve as diocesan priests.
4. Pray for those of us who are already priests to be good ones! Some of you may even pray that I can be gooder!

*still valid theology..and pretty good too!

Rose on the Third Week

2011-12-10T10:43:00.003-06:00

In the 8th century, the papal laundry mixed the whites with reds thus starting the tradition of rose vestments. Nah, kidding. But kinda funny.

Tomorrow is the 3rd Sunday in Advent. Because of the entrance antiphon's opening lines "Rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil 4:4), this Sunday is known as "Gaudete" Sunday. For the slow on the uptake, "gaudete" means "rejoice".

This Advent, I've been using the thematic of the "Four Last Things" or "novissima" to direct my homilies. Those things are "Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell". Advent is not just the waiting period before Christmas but is a season that anticipates Christ's Second Coming. Although it may be coincidental with the shopping days left til Christmas, Advent isn't about rushing to get things done but we are told over and over to make haste, that is, to be quick in preparing for Jesus. So what better way than thinking of the GREAT BEYOND!

The first week, I spoke about "Death". Not really the kind of thing that inspires thoughts of candycanes and sparklies but as it's been said, "None of us gets out of here alive". Jim Morrison said that. And he's dead. So he was right.

The second week, last week, was about Judgment. I don't really know what I said but it brought over a hundred folks to confession. A psychologist in town said one of his clients had mentioned my homily during therapy. Which was weird but kinda awesome.

Everything looks good through rose colored glasses. Except the wearer.

Tomorrow, the third week, we look at Heaven. And lo! It is a bright cheery rose candle! Out of the gloom comes the hope for Heaven. In the early church, the color signified the fast during Advent could be broken temporarily. A little taste of Heaven? The priest is allowed to wear rose as well (and, as many have said, it's not "pink") during Mass.

I know nothing of the dress code in Heaven but I don't know of anyone who can be sad while wearing rose. So maybe dig up something of that hue for tomorrow's Mass and "Rejoice"!

VESTMENT WATCH: What color did you priest wear this weekend? Did he call it pink? I bet at least one priest calls it pink.

SBC?

2011-12-09T08:28:00.004-06:00

The bucket now known as KFC

"What if Southern Baptists were no longer called Southern Baptists? Would more people walk through church doors? Some leaders in the nation's largest Protestant denomination say it's an idea that needs to be considered for an evangelistic faith with declining membership.A task force asked to study that question made its recommendation to Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright on Wednesday...."
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20111209/NEWS01/112090312/Southern-Baptists-study-possible-name-change?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Seems the Southern Baptist Convention is having a tough time with gaining members. Part of the reason, I'd surmise, is the hardline teachings concerning issues that run afoul of current leanings in civil rights. It looks like although the name will change, the substance will stay the same.Like KFC!

This isn't just a Baptist issue. It's not like Catholics haven't had to go through some name changes. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that is charge of promulgating and promoting Catholicism throughout the world used to be called "The Holy Office of the Inquisition".

Then there's the whole "let's put Catholic in our titles lest people think we're too liberal" movement that jumped up in the '90's in response partly to Catholic conservatives withdrawing support for initiatives they thought to be off the mark of Catholic principles. Thus we have the CATHOLIC Campaign for Human Development (formerly Campaign for Human Development) on the national level and in our diocese, the Bishop's paper changed to the Mississippi CATHOLIC (formerly Mississippi Today).

Some would argue they still use the same herbs and spices.

The Immaculate DEFLECTION!

2011-12-08T08:08:00.001-06:00

I was a freshman at State when this miraculous event happened to give Ole Miss the Egg Bowl win. I was there with some other dormrats from Duggar Hall. For some reason, we had to haul out of the parking lot quickly. If memory serves, one of my cohorts lost his cowbell in the windshield of a BMW with a Colonel Reb sticker on the bumper.

Mary Immaculate, pray for us!

2011-12-08T06:47:00.002-06:00

Today, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception. On this day, we recognize that Mary was conceived in her mother's womb without the stain of original sin - a singular grace from God, through the merits of Christ Jesus.

Under the title "Immaculate Conception," Mary is the patroness of the United States. So, today is an especially good day to pray for our country and for our men and women in uniform. Ask for Mary's prayers for our country - God knows we need them!

For us Catholics in the United States, it is a Holy Day of Obligation (or should I say opportunity!... YEAH!), so make sure and attend Holy Mass. At St. John's here in Oxford, Masses will be at 12:10pm and 5:30pm. Don't forget!

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Recent "saint"ly news

2011-12-07T12:03:00.001-06:00

Bl. Marianne Cope (d. 1918)

It seems that one American "blessed" may have just taken the final step toward sainthood.

Yesterday, Vatican officials announced the findings of an independent medical board, who declared that there is no medical or scientific explanation for a recent miracle attributed to Blessed Marianne Cope. They have recommended that Pope Benedict name Bl. Marianne a saint.

It would be up to Pope Benedict to follow the recommendation of the Congregation for the Causes for Saints and to officially add Bl. Marianne to the list of the Church's saints. After that, she would officially be called "Saint" Marianne Cope.

Bl. Marianne Cope was a Franciscan sister who was born in Germany but raised in Utica, New York. In 1862, she entered the Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse, New York. As a religious sister in New York, she helped to establish two Catholic hospitals in that state. She is best known, however, for her service to leprosy patients in Hawaii during the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1883, she responded to a plea for assistance and volunteered to move to Hawaii to serve. There, she succeeded Father Damien (now St. Damien), a Belgian-born priest also renowned for his ministry to those suffering from leprosy.

St. Ambrose: Now that's how you get a bishop!

2011-12-07T08:46:00.002-06:00

St. Ambrose with that bishop gangsta lean

True story about today's saint:
"[About ]374AD, heresies threatened to destroy the Church. The bishop had supported the Arian heresy that argued against the divinity of Christ. Who would take his place - an Arian or a Catholic? Both sides met in the cathedral and a riot broke out.

Public order was Ambrose's responsibility as governor so he hurried to the church and made a passionate speech not in favor of either side, but in favor of peace. He begged the people to make their choice without fighting, using restraint and moderation.

Suddenly, while he was speaking, a voice called out, "Ambrose for bishop!" Soon everyone was shouting, "Ambrose for bishop!"...Ambrose ran away.

[After being discovered in a hiding place], Ambrose gave in. Since he'd been forced to take the position, no one would have been surprised if he'd decided to keep on living the way that he had before ordination. Instead, Ambrose immediately gave his property to the poor and put himself under the instruction of Saint Simplician to learn Scripture and theology." Notably, Ambrose was a catechumen at the time of his study and not baptized as a Christian!

And as bishop, he was notably concerned for the poor:
He wrote, "God created the universe in such a manner that all in common might derive their food from it, and that the earth should also be a property common to all. Why do you reject one who has the same rights over nature as you? It is not from your own goods that you give to the beggar; it is a portion of his own that you are restoring to him. The earth belongs to all. So you are paying back a debt and think you are making a gift to which you are not bound."

And for those who think a bishop can be EITHER concerned for the poor or faithful to the Church:
"We know from St. Augustine (Confess., IX, vii) and Paulinus the Deacon (Vita S. Ambros., § 13) that St. Ambrose introduced innovations, not indeed into the Mass, but into what would seem to be the Divine Office. St. Ambrose filled the church with Catholics and kept them there night and day until the peril [of Arian attack] was past. And he arranged Psalms and hymns for them to sing, as St. Augustine says, "secundum morem orientalium partium ne populus mæroris tædio contabesceret" (after the manner of the Orientals, lest the people should languish in cheerless monotony)..."

A man of the people and for the poor who cares for Catholic identity and promotes the liturgy? AMBROSE FOR BISHOP! AMBROSE FOR BISHOP!

Information compiled from the internet. Because it's all true online, kids!

Would the real St. Nicholas please stand up?

2011-12-06T18:55:00.001-06:00

Today we get to celebrate the icon of American childhood: Santa Claus. The real Santa Claus.

There are few Catholic traditions more pervasive throughout all of American culture than the man in red. In the past century, he has become a well-known symbol of the Christmas season and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone (no matter what their religious persuasions) who couldn't identify Santa.

We know all about him, right? He lives at the North Pole. He wears a red, furry suit. He hangs out with elves and rides a flying sleigh pulled by reindeer. And - most importantly - he sneaks into people's homes during the night before Christmas, and delivers presents. That last part is a little creepy when you really think about it... but I digress.

So who is the real Santa Claus? Well, truth is, the idea of Santa is based on a man who lived many centuries ago and wasn't all gingerbread and sugar plums. Instead, it seems that he was one tough cookie with a soft heart for the poor. His dress? Almost certainly not a red, fur-trimed suit. Instead, he wore the normal dress of fourth century men of his region - a tunical or a casula. And his home? Far from roaming reindeer or the snow of the North Pole - it was a town on the Mediterranean coast in modern-day Turkey. One thing that might be familiar: he probably did have a beard. His name was Nicholas.

As with most early saints, we don't know a whole lot about Nicholas. He was likely born around the year 270 in the city of Patara in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Stories that have been preserved throughout the centuries, tell of a man who took his Catholic faith very seriously. Tradition records that Nicholas was the only child of wealthy parents. His parents died when he was a child - victims of an epidemic in the region, and Nicholas was raised by a devout uncle (also named Nicholas) who led the young man to be very active in the Church from an early age.

By the first decades of the fourth century, Nicholas was the bishop of Myra (now known as Demre), on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. He led his local congregation through difficult years of the Diocletian Persecution - the most widespread and deadliest of the Roman persecutions against the Church. In 325, Nicholas participated at the Council of Nicaea - the first ecumenical (i.e. worldwide) council of the Church's bishops. There, Nicholas was numbered among the bishops, priests and deacons (including many who had been maimed during the last persecution), in a meeting called by the Roman Emperor Constantine to address the Arian teachings which were spreading through the Church at the time.

Arius was a priest in the city of Alexandria, Egypt - an important city for the Church at that time. He taught that God the Father existed before, and was superior to, the Son. This was not "the faith once delivered to the saints" and passed down from the Apostles (Jude 1:3). It was a novelty, but a popular one which was quickly spreading throughout the Roman Empire and sewing division in the Church. Constantine called the Church's bishops to Nicaea to make a formal decision on the teachings of Arius.

One story records that Arius stood in front of the assembled bishops and the emperor himself, and explained his teaching that Christ was homoiousious (of a similar nature) instead of homoousious (of the same nature) as God the Father. As he explained his position, one bishop - Nicholas - stood up, calmly walked over to Arius and slapped him across the face in front of everyone.

Nicholas lays the smack down on Arius at the Council of Nicaea.

Yes, Nicholas took his faith very seriously.

Another well-known story about Nicholas tells of how, while he was Bishop of Myra, he heard about a poor widower in the town who had three daughters for whom he could not afford to pay a dowry. This, of course, meant that they would not be married and, in that time and culture, had a very uncertain future. Nicholas took it upon himself to remedy this situation in a clever way that would preserve Nicholas' modesty and would protect the man from the humiliation of having to receive charity. In the dark of night, Nicholas tossed three pouches of gold coins into the open window of the man's home and then snuck away in the darkness. The coins were just enough to pay the dowry for each of the man's daughters. The man caught up with Nicholas and thanked him, but Nicholas modestly told the man to thank God alone and asked him not to tell others about his act of anonymous generosity. (By the way - if you've ever noticed the symbol of the three gold balls that many pawn shops use, it comes from this story - St. Nicholas is the patron saint of pawn brokers).

From this story, it is easy to see how St. Nicholas became associated with gift-giving. In fact, it is on the night before this day (not the night of December 24th) when many children in Europe receive gifts "from St. Nicholas." Here in the United States, the Dutch version of St. Nicholas, Sint Nicolaas, and its abbreviated form, Sinterklaas, became corrupted into the now familiar Santa Claus. Clement C. Moore's famous poem, A Visit From St. Nicholas (you know: "T'was the night before Christmas..."), first published in 1823, went a long way to spread the popularity (and form the American version) of a jolly man who visits children during the Christmas season, bringing them gifts. You can also thank some great illustrations and advertising from the 19th and 20th centuries, which have cemented our American ideas about who Santa Claus is and what he looks like.

Interestingly, we may have a really good idea about what the real St. Nicholas looked like. In 2005, the remains of St. Nicholas - which had been "translated" (i.e. moved) from his original tomb in Myra to Bari, Italy in 1087, after the Muslim Turks took over control of Myra - revealed that he stood barely 5 feet tall and, at one point, had suffered a broken nose. Based on the measurements of his bones, forensic scientists created a computer-generated image of what St. Nicholas might have looked like. (see below)

In any case, on a day like today, it's best to celebrate this great saint of the Church by emulating his actions. Do something nice for someone, anonymously. Help someone in need, anonymously. Do it for the glory of God and the good of your soul. And be like St. Nick!

Forensic reconstruction of St. Nicholas, based on his skull.

Prayers Requested for the Ron Price Family

2011-12-06T11:54:00.000-06:00

In this area of the state, murders are few and far between. It hurts deeply when anyone is killed but it's greater when the victim is an innocent.

From WTVA.com:

The Ron Price Family

New Albany police are searching for the person responsible for a shooting that injured football coach Ron Price and killed his wife, Amanda, late Monday night.

According to police, it happened just before 10 p.m. on Murrah Road in New Albany.

The couple had returned home when Amanda Price went to take the family dog out on the back porch.

She was shot, and according to the coroner, later pronounced dead at a hospital in New Albany.

Her body will be sent to Jackson for an autopsy.

Law enforcement officials say Ron Price stepped outside after hearing shots being fired.

He was shot as well, and taken to a hospital in Tupelo for surgery, where he is expected to recover.

Police continue to investigate the shooting.

Residents are warned to keep their doors and windows locked until they find the person responsible.

New Albany Schools Superintendent Dr. Chuck Garrett says counselors are at the school helping students and staff cope with the tragedy.

Price has been a coach in the New Albany school district since 2002 and was named head coach at the high school in 2008.

Amanda Price was a speech pathologist at the school.

Garrett called her an outstanding, caring teacher and a good Christian woman.

He says the entire school is shocked and saddened by the loss.

The New Albany basketball games with Briarcrest Academy in Memphis and the soccer games with Oxford scheduled for Tuesday night have been canceled.

Your prayers are requested.

Back to Back

2011-12-06T10:18:00.000-06:00

Oxford: 2008

Brookhaven 2011

Jackson 2011

Ad Orientem: It's BACK BABY!

It's Krampus Day!

2011-12-05T11:48:00.002-06:00

We don't get enough Krampus during the season.

I'm sure Brad will post about St. Nicholas this week but I doubt you'd hear much about St. Nick's faithful, slobbering, hairy and horned buddy, the Krampus. In anticipation of St. Nick's Day, today is officially the Day of the Krampus!

So go out, rattle chains and shake a bundle of sticks at some little kids. Threaten to steal their souls or take them to the bowels of Hell. It's great fun for the entire family!

Freeze

2011-12-05T11:07:00.001-06:00

Well, the new Ole Miss uniform is cooler than State's "Hail State" uniform

At 2pm today, in the Ford Center, Ole Miss' new head football coach will be introduced to Rebel Nation.

I have concerns.

I understand that we need a man with experience and can run a good offense but nothing is said of his reputation as a scientific genius, with a specialty in cryogenics. He employs an extensive array of cryo-weaponry in his driven quest, motivated by his grief and anger over the fate of his wife Nora. Due to the fact that his body has been permanently altered to survive at a sub-freezing state, he has to suit up in protective freezing armor whenever in an above-zero climate. For this, he's one of Batman's most fearsome foes. Sure he can take on Batman and Robin but can he put it to Arkansas or LSU? Riddle me that.

He also has a freeze ray and makes puns using ice-related words.

Hotty Toddy just got a little colder...muhahahahaha!

(Welcome, Coach Hugh Freeze!)

Idle hands

2011-12-02T10:56:00.002-06:00

Twice today I was asked about the letter from Bishop Roger Foys of Covington, Ky. The bishop was setting forth some liturgical norms for his diocese and obviously, the letter went viral. For Catholic geeks anyway, it's viral.

The letter can be seen here.

Of the norms stated, this one has gotten some people's attention:
Special note should also be made concerning the gesture for the Our Father. Only the priest is given the instruction to “extend” his hands. Neither the deacon nor the lay faithful are instructed to do this. No gesture is prescribed for the lay faithful in the Roman Missal; nor the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, therefore the extending or holding of hands by the faithful should not be performed.

The bishop is correct in stating that "neither the deacon nor the lay faithful are instructed" to extend their hands at the Our Father. This position is known as the "orans" position from the Latin word for "prayer".

An androgynous person does an orans position. More on this later.

People call it the GIRM but rarely get infected.

In 2004, when the General Instruction for the Roman Missal was corrected and published, some Dioceses instructed their people to do and not do certain things. There were some reiterations of the Vatican's statements in our Diocese but nothing formal. Here at St. John's, I instructed that hand-holding should not occur (but it does) and, at that time, there was some talk of everyone doing an "orans" position.

A bishop can put forth liturgical norms for his Diocese and good on Bishop Foys for his. But this isn't for everyone's Diocese! Our bishop hasn't said anything about hand positions so far. He's made some mandates concerning the ordinaries and the musical setting. He has been against people chewing gum or wearing short skirts while performing duties at the altar, I know. But nothing about hands.

Bottom line, there is nothing suggested one way or another about the lay faithful and what to do with your hands during the Our Father. Hand-holding is not prescribed because it symbolizes that the Our Father is a unifying moment when no such moment is celebrated in Catholic liturgy. Then there's the awkwardness of holding strangers hands and people who don't hold hands and people who have crushes on people after that unifying hand-holding. But it's your soul.

So, as far as it stands now, there is nothing about how to hold your hands during the Our Father. Just don't be mean or dramatic. And speaking of dramatic...here's more of the genderless character with a butt-cut:

Wave your hands in the air like you don't care. Why don't you care, Luke Skywalker haired creature?

The War on Advent!

2011-12-01T10:03:00.007-06:00

The seasonal "WAR ON CHRISTMAS" battle popularized by a certain network misses an even greater war: THE WAR ON ADVENT!
Advent--that great season of hope and expectation that precedes Christmas. Symbols of the season are a simplicity in Church decoration, the use of violet to denote its penitential and expectant nature and of course, the wreath.

That up there is a traditional Advent wreath. Evergreens in a circle symbolizing the enduring quality of hope. The three violet candles symbolizing expectation. The rose candle for the third week alerting us that Christ's birthday is near. Add a ribbon to taste. Classic.

But that's too simple isn't it, WESTERN CULTURE OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM? Had to come up with new ways of anticipating our Lord's nativity, dincha? BEHOLD THE TRAVESTY!


Advent balls. Too early to come up with a clever smart comment.

Crayola candle Creche-ifix

Advent boat shaped angel


O'Come O'Come O'Connor and O'Flaherty

Led Zeppelin Advent: If you light this wreath backward, it has secret messages from the devil

Advent..or do you mean AdMINT?

Miami Vice Advent Candles

During Miami Vice Advent, on the third week, Crockett goes to the edge in tracking a killer (Tony Shaloub).

Jewish Advent wreath: Christ is coming again or is he just coming for the first time?

Blue Advent under the Thunderdome

I suspect a group of sisters made this deadwood hanging Walmart scented candle deal. That's nun carpet.

All inclusive Advent hedge for the 4zillion weeks before Christmas.

Advent Candles circling the Death Star

And finally...

Advent wreath that makes you think of poop

Green Christmas

2011-12-01T08:11:00.000-06:00

If you are in any parish headed by an Irish pastor, don't let him know this is around.

Guarantee one of those Irish magi brought a wee bit o' scotch

Stolen from The Crescat.

Movember: Dang, missed out

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

Last year, we had this great idea: Stache for Cash but in typical Rebel fashion, the momentum and execution petered out and it was sort of a non event. No photographic evidence of it.

I miss you, stache sticker.

But seems Movember is kind of the hot thing. Worth a look and support.

However...just wanted to say.

We did it first.

Albeit poorly.